hardboiled & halcyon you
by alice hattercandy
Summary: Post-war. Before, he was too scared to start. Now, he was too scared to let go.
1. he watches, he listens, he feels

hardboiled strawberries

halcyon days

hopeful princess

hoping,

hoping boy

hop and roll

hardboiled boy

hop and roll

hop and roll

here it goes

…

…

**hardboiled & halcyon you.**

* * *

**1**

_Colors, more than everything_

…

She, like Rukia, loved to read manga. And she, like Rukia, read them with incredible passion, complete with random reactions. Except that, Rukia's were violent, and hers were exaggerated.

She, unlike Rukia, wasn't easily interrupted (and when she was, she didn't get violent). And, unlike Rukia when interrupted will stand up, kick his face or wallop the back of his head, she would only smile at him and get back to her world.

The rooftop was deserted except for Ichigo and Orihime. It was April, two weeks after the start of their new term. Fifteen minutes before the bell, their friends returned to their classroom leaving them alone. Ever since they got public with their relationship (which was _cordially_ received with mixed reactions: Chizuru screaming _bloody murder_ and Keigo and his waterworks; Tatsuki's was a threat— _I will break every frigging bone in your body and you know I can and I will if you make her cry! _– but she was undeniably happy; however, Ichigo read that threat differently: _baka, it's my time to take the sideline and watch. It's your turn to protect her now and do not- I repeat- fail me! There is no second chance, no next time… I hate to say this, but _you—_ you're the _only _person I can trust Orihime with_), his group of friends started to eat lunch with hers.

Orihime, as influenced recently by Rukia before the petite shinigami left for Soul Society, was reading a manga. Only recently that Ichigo discovered that the manga she was obsessing with was completely shounen— Rukia was obsessed with shoujo which was _surprising_— and mature, complete with gore and language. At first, Ichigo told her off about it. It was a _gory _and _violent _shounen manga where men blow heads up, rip out spines and shot people point-blank in the face. But she giggled, showed him one of her brightest smile, which Aizen— _that fucking, ambitious bastard— _wanted to see but failed, and said gently,

"_It's okay. I've seen worst."_

And _that _made him drop his argument and he simply watched her.

That statement painfully reminded him that this girl— _his _girl now… _believe it, you bastard! _as he had shouted once, one night when he introduced her to a crazy idiot he called father— was the same _girl _who got manhandled by two jealous Arrancars, choked by a blue-haired megalomaniac psychopath, watched him fight violent battles after battles, saw him got blasted by a crazy Cero, saw him transformed into something ugly— and _very _beautiful she once said candidly, _you changed for me, for me_…_to save me_, and he didn't feel ugly anymore— saw deaths, watched battles, got emotionally battered… cried, struggled to live and survive even though it was _difficult, _and she was alone, and there were people and creatures that disrespected her, used her, hurt her…and yet, after all the drama and violence, she remained hopeful. She remained positive. She kept trusting him, believing him… loving him.

A gory and violent shounen manga would not faze her in slightest.

Hell, her stomach was strange and strong enough for it.

Ichigo sighed, and looked up to the clear blue sky.

_Finally. _

Some peace and quiet after the dreadful Winter War.

With friends, shinigami and humans alike who survived, albeit hurt. Intact town. Safe family. Orihime. Beside him. With him.

Alive.

For a moment, he wanted to grab her hand, squeeze it hard to feel the shift of her bones underneath her pale skin just to make sure she _is alive and she is here._

He heard her giggle. Really, was _there_ something to giggle about in a gory, mature, violent, bloody shounen manga?

"What are you so happy about?" asked Ichigo curiously as he looked at her.

The auburn-haired girl looked up at him sideways, her large eyes sparkling. A thick lock of hair fell between their faces. "He shot him in the knee." She replied, pointing. Ichigo glanced away from the page.

"And what's funny about it?"

Her eyes blinked. "Well… he said, 'that tickles!'"

Ichigo shook his head and resumed watching the clouds.

"That was funny, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Yeah, yeah… whatever you say, Hime."

She became quiet. Discreetly, he glanced at her under his lashes, head still tilted up to the sky. Breeze softly lifted her hair, which was longer and very thick, and glossy. Her eyelashes were incredible: long, impossibly long. They brushed the swells of her cheeks. Sometimes, she would blink slowly— he liked watching her blink— her eyes would open slowly, but they close quickly. When she was daydreaming, her eyes would look hooded, lashes lowered over her caramel-colored eyes.

The two of them were standing side by side against the fence, wearing their uniforms with jackets. His hands were inside his pockets, one foot on the ground, the other on the fence. His eyebrow lifted, listening to her murmur incoherently. He slightly shook his head again, looked up and waited for the bell.

"Ohhhh no! LOOK BEHIND YOU!"

Ichigo jumped, startled at her yell. "What the hell!" Orihime was clutching the manga before her eyes.

"Noooo, I told you! _Look behind you! _Takeshi— that evil guy— was behind you, clutching a bazooka, but _you, yes you!_ You didn't listen to me and now you're dying… you're dying and dying is so sad because you're alone with that big hole in your chest and your skull opened and you're missing an eye and the little blue men and yellow daisies and red bean paste aliens will come and get you and take you away far, far, far away and—"

"Orihime." Ichigo dragged out.

She stopped and beamed at him prettily. "Yes, Kurosaki-kun?"

He sighed in defeat, relaxed and lazily dropped his head sideward to rest his cheek on top of her head. Orihime flushed heavily at the contact, wide-eyed, even though it was _just _his cheek on top of her head. They stood side by side, his head on hers with a scowl on his face, eyes closed, and hands inside his pockets. From outsider's point of view, one would wonder why the guy had such a sour face and the girl had redder than red face, clutching a manga in her small, white hands as if she was having a heart attack.

"Breathe, Hime." The orange-haired teen said softly.

Her eyelashes fluttered. "W-what…?"

"Breathe."

Orihime felt her face grow redder.

"And relax."

"I… I am breathing… Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo maintained his position, enjoying the softness of her hair against his cheek. "What's so great about that manga anyway? It's too violent for you to read."

The change in conversation excited her. "Oh! It's not violent! It's exciting, Kurosaki-kun! With lots and lots of action scenes! It was amazingly drawn… I hope they were colored."

The scowl deepened. She wanted it… _colored_? That gory… manga? He thanked whoever genius it was who invented black-and-white comics.

"Why?"

He can imagine her glowing with a smile. "Why else, Kurosaki-kun? It will be _more _exciting!"

He will never understand the way her mind worked. But he liked her very much that way. _I don't have to worry about her mental health just because of a gross manga. _Ichigo lifted his cheek off her head, stretched his neck and pushed off the fence to stand in front of his girlfriend. Orihime was still engrossed with her manga, her eyes wide and attentive. She was even biting her lip in anticipation. Eagerly, she turned to the next page and her jaw dropped. Ichigo had to suppress a grin at her comical expression.

"What's up, Hime?"

Slowly, wide-eyed, she met his amused gaze. But his amusement evaporated at her obvious distress. He frowned, pulled his hands out of his pockets and stepped closer to her.

"Kurosaki-kun…"

"What? Does your stomach hurt?"

"…it said," she bit her lip.

Ichigo frowned deeply, worried.

"The page said, 'see you next volume'!"

The substitute shinigami felt his jaw drop and a vein pounded in his temple as his brows went up. "…_what!_"

"I'm so upset! I have to wait for next week! Takeshi and Reiko finally meet after 5 volumes and I was so excited because you see, Reiko hates Takeshi because he killed Takuya but Takeshi did that because he has his reasons which he keeps secret and Reiko looked for him because she wants to kill him as a revenge but she can't because she has feelings for him… and when I turned to the next page… look!" She shoved the manga under his nose. "Did you see it, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Yeah, I can." He muttered, his brows twitching. "In black bold letters, Orihime."

She pouted. "I don't like cliffhangers, you know."

"Obviously."

She sighed deeply, hunching her shoulders, her arms hanging limply beside her. Ichigo held her shoulders and straightened her up. "Blah. Don't get upset. Takano—"

"Takeshi." She corrected.

His mouth twitched, "yeah, _Takeshi _and Renji—"

"—_Reiko_. Renji-kun is a shinigami!"

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. "Whatever, Hime." He cupped the side of her face and tilted her head up. Her auburn-orange hair gently rippled in the breeze, touching his face, his hair. She smelled of fresh laundry, no perfumes, and like newly unwrapped chocolates. She was pouting, and playfully, she puffed her left cheek. A rare smile cracked his face as he lifted another hand to gently pinch her other cheek. "I'll walk you home later."

Orihime blinked. "You always walk me home." She pointed out with a dazzling smile.

The substitute rolled his eyes and gently tugged at a lock of hair. "I know. But I wanted us to make a quick detour. Is it okay?"

She nodded, "of course, Kurosaki-kun!" she wrapped a hand on his arm, looking up to him happily, her cheeks in natural blush. "I don't mind! Oh, maybe we can grab some ice cream later, too? And some bread? And some red bean paste? And oh! I ran out of wasabi last night! I tried a new recipe: macaroni and cheese with wasabi! The result was heavenly, Kurosaki-kun! I never thought cheese and wasabi would taste great together…"

Ichigo shook his head and gave her hair another tug. "Sure, Hime. Whatever that makes you happy." He released her hair and took the manga from her hand. "Let's go back." He stuck the manga between his arm and body as he narrowed his eyes. "And don't fall asleep in English, Orihime. You'll miss a lot and the lecturer will give you a hard time like the last time."

"Yes, thank you so much, Kurosaki-kun, for reminding me." Orihime said as they walked back to class.

"Are you having nightmares?"

The girl quickly replied. "Nooooo."

Ichigo raised a brow disbelievingly.

"Well… I dreamed about you eating my_ entire_ red bean paste sandwiches."

The corner of his mouth twitched. It was _his _nightmare. But knowing how much she loved her red bean paste sandwiches, of course, it was _her _nightmare, too.

"What else did you dream about?"

"Mmm, well…" She was obviously stalling, maybe preparing for a lie. But Orihime…could not lie to him properly. Ichigo reached down between them and grasped her hand firmly, making them stop their walk.

"Tell me."

"But…"

"If you're preparing for another 'little blue men and little green men invading earth and planting green bean paste instead of red bean paste' lie, I will burn this manga."

He hated threatening her, but he never wanted her to lie to him just because she did not want to burden him with her feelings. She had been so alone for a long time, and now that he was there and _here _for her, along with their other friends, he will never let her deal with her fears, insecurities, nightmares, disappointments, pain and doubts alone.

They were more than friends.

More than nakama.

She was something more.

She was everything and more.

Orihime chewed on her bottom lip, debating whether to tell him or not. "Well, there was Aizen… and… and… the Hougyoku. But it was such a short nightmare! Aizen didn't even talk!"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, examining her closely. Orihime started to blush madly at the intense scrutiny. Ichigo stood back, still looking at her with half-lidded eyes, still holding her hand. Without a word, he led her back to their 2nd year classroom. Ichigo pointedly ignored the incredulous stares of fellow students, who he knew, wore disbelieving faces as they watched him and Orihime walked by, holding hands. Who would have thought that a scary, orange-haired punk will hook up with one of the school's most beautiful faces?

_Fuck off, morons._

His ego swelled, _even more, _when he felt Orihime wrapped her fingers around his.

"Punks! Bell had rang, you idiots! Go back inside your rooms!" A male teacher yelled. Students scrammed to their respective rooms. Ichigo and Orihime entered their room. He pushed her inside first, pushing her until she reached her desk and sat down to her chair. Gently, he put the manga on top of her head and walked off to his own desk. Smilingly, Orihime lifted the manga off her head and placed it under her desk.

…

…

**2**

_Paradise._

…

He held her hand tightly, and he knew it made her blush so much that it was funny. If she believed his scowl was funny, he, in turn, believed her blush was funny, as well.

"I thought I told you not to sleep in English class."

Orihime smiled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head. "But… I was really, really tired." When he narrowed his eyes, she added quickly, "but honestly, the nightmare wasn't a bother! After dinner, I finished my assignments… I slept okay… I dreamed about my mecha-self with Ultimate Blazing Super Bazooka coming out of my forehead then… there was Aizen. He was looking at me, and Hougkyou was staring back at me. Apart from those, there was nothing… v-violent or bloody occurred. Believe me, please, don't worry anymore, Kurosaki-kun."

"Fine."

She grinned happily.

"…but I'll ask again later."

The grin turned into a pout.

Ichigo smiled simply at her cute child-like expression. "Where do you want to go first?"

"Eh? You said you want to take a detour…"

Ichigo shrugged, "we'll go first where you want to go." Orihime stared up, wide-eyed, to her protector's scowling face. A smile started to tug at her lips as a warm, tender feeling overflowed from her heart. Kurosaki-kun was so kind and considerate. Maybe, he sucked in expressing his feelings properly (she giggled as she recalled how he confessed to her, _yelling _and _stammering_ at the same time to her that she had trouble comprehending his words) and how to properly convey his thoughts without offending anyone, but under all the rough edges, the tough shell and scowling visage, her Kurosaki-kun was a big bear with big heart.

"Oi. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Orihime blinked a couple of times. "Y-yes…? I'm sorry, what did you say, Kurosaki-kun?"

He smirked slightly. "Stop picturing me naked, Hime."

Her face turned bloody red as she froze in her track. "W-what! I… I'm n-not!" she put a palm over her face, positively mortified. Ichigo let out a quiet chuckle and reached down to her to tug at her hair.

"Just kidding."

Orihime was still blushing as she stuttered, "That was…e-embarrassing!"

Ichigo shrugged. "It was fun to watch you go red."

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Yeah… Hey, you said you wanted to buy some bread, right?" She pouted as a reply. Ichigo just tugged her forward. "Check the expiration date, will you?" he ordered as he guided her inside the bakery shop. "I freaked out when I saw a loaf of bread the other night in your kitchen. It was already expired, you idiot… so I threw it in the trash can."

Gray eyes widened. "Eh! So you're the one who got rid of my bread!"

He frowned at her, exasperated. "So what? It's expired, Orihime."

"But… It can get lonely inside the trash can…"

Ichigo sweat-dropped, "it won't be. There are other junks inside. It's not alone."

"Oh! That's great! Oh, look! Red bean spread! Red bean juice! Red bean spaghetti sauce…"

Ichigo was dumbfounded. _What the hell…? A red bean paradise! _

It was like stepping inside a Chappy Paradise (which he vehemently erased from his memory, but alas, he remembered now).

"Wow! Wah! So many red bean pastes and ohhhhh, look, Kurosaki-kun! A red bean stalk! And red bean spread! Wow!" He watched his girlfriend ran around the displays, excitement radiating off her. She looked positively happy, beaming and laughing as she fussed around the display. "This is amazing! Kurosaki-kun, there are so many red bean paste! I didn't know such haven exists!"

_Haven?_

He groaned.

"Yeah… Me too." He said dryly.

She beamed at him, and he could not help but to smile back.

"Check the expiration date, okay?"

Orihime nodded vigorously, "Hai, Kurosaki-kun!" she replied before turning (and tripping in the process) to rush at the displays.

Ichigo sighed deeply, watching her fret and read the labels for the expiry date. After a few minutes, he decided to walk over to her to check on her. "Orihime, what's the hold up?"

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun… I can't decide what to buy."

"What! You haven't picked any thing yet?"

Orihime nodded. "I can't choose between red bean paste and red bean spread."

"Just pick them both."

"But…"

"It will obviously break your heart if you have to choose one. So, get them both."

Her cheeks colored. "Well… I don't have enough—"

"I'll buy this red bean spread for you."

She gasped, looking up to him in embarrassment. "oh! But Kurosaki-kun, you don't have to, I mean—" Ichigo took the items from her hands.

"Let's go already. You said you wanted to buy some ice cream, didn't you?"

"But…"Orihime bit her lip, looking up to him with her large eyes.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me like that. Come on. You have a pile of English assignments to finish." He narrowed his eyes, "that's for sleeping in class." Orihime giggled nervously behind her hand. They went to the counter and paid for her purchases, stuttering her thanks to Kurosaki-kun for paying for the red bean spread she liked very much to try. Ichigo waved off her gratitude, grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the market, eager to leave the 'red bean paradise'.

…

…

**3**

_Together, being together…_

…

Frowning, Ichigo poked Orihime in the arm with the blunt tip of his pencil. "Oi, power nap's over. Wake up."

But the girl didn't budge. Ichigo repeated the action, albeit carefully. They were in her apartment, working their homework together. While in the process of finishing her English homework, Ichigo noticed Orihime's frequent yawning. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, and she looked exhausted. He asked her if she was alright to which she responded with a bright smile. His expression had softened slightly at her effort.

"_Just sleepy! English was especially tough…unlike last year. Ano, Kurosaki-kun, do you want something to drink? Are you hungry?"_

What a selfless girl.

"_I'm fine. Just finish your assignment so that you can get some rest." He examined her closely. "Are you sure you're okay?"_

"_Oh, I'm fine, Kurosaki-kun. Thank you."_

And she proceeded to finish her work, but right in the middle of writing a sentence, she fell asleep and her face hit her notebook. At first, he panicked. He thought she lost consciousness but hearing her steady deep breathing, he deduced that she fell asleep. With a frown, he continued his own homework and let Orihime napped. However, after thirty minutes, Orihime remained sleeping, not even budging. The only indication that she was alive was the subtle movement of her shoulders. She hadn't move from her position, one cheek on the table, one hand holding her pencil, the other laying on the table.

Shaking his head, Ichigo reached out to grasp her shoulder firmly. "Orihime." There was no response. "Hime." He shook her gently. "Hey, power nap's over. Orihime. Oi." Ichigo moved closer until he was next to her. With both hands, he took hold of her fragile shoulders, pulled her up to sitting position whilst supporting her body. Her head hung forward awkwardly, her hair framing and covering her face.

"Hime? Damn, she's already asleep." With one hand, palm up, he cupped her forehead and gently pushed her face up. As though boneless, her head tilted backward so quickly that Ichigo swore, fearing that she might suffer from neck fracture. Gently, a palm on her cheek, he put her head between his shoulder and chin.

"You're this tired, Hime?" Ichigo murmured against her bangs, clutching at her hair. "Oi, wake up. You haven't eaten yet." But the girl remained motionless. He frowned and felt her spiritual pressure. Her reiatsu was, as usual, gentle and warm. But, _it was softer than before. _For him, Orihime's reiatsu was like sunshine, a ray of sunlight. Warm, soothing. Very, very warm. With relaxed brows, he studied her face, his hand on her cheek with several locks of caramel-auburn hair curling around his long fingers. She looked plain tired. She had no bags under her eyes that might indicate lack of sleep. Her breathing was regular, deep but rhythmic. He narrowed his brown eyes, watching her closely.

_She looked okay. She doesn't look like she's having nightmares. _

As a matter of fact, it seemed that she was having a very, very nice sleep. She slept deeply, beautifully.

Ichigo sighed. _I would feel immensely guilty if I wake her up. _He moved one arm to slide it under her knees, his eyes on his arm. From the corner of his eye, he saw something flickered.

_What was that?_

One of her pale hands—

Ichigo blinked, and then narrowed his eyes.

That hand looked… _paler than usual._

Of course, Orihime had pale skin, almost white, but— not _this white_. Not this pale that it almost appeared _transparent._

Quick like a lightning, he moved his arm out under her legs and grabbed her hand tightly.

Her hand was warm.

And _present._

Her hand was _there._

Quickly, he grasped at her reiatsu mentally, letting her graceful, soft reiatsu mingled with his, calming him.

Ichigo swore under his breath. Him and his paranoia. Ever since her disappearance, sensing her presence had become automatic, like breathing. It was so easy to sense her. (Although Ishida, that _arrogant, high-and-mighty _bastard, always told him he sucked in sensing reiatsu, and no matter how many times he'd told him that he _didn't _suck at anything at all, Ishida would snap back an annoying smartass reply: "your argument has no basis, Kurosaki. You sucked in sensing reiatsu and that's final."

"YOU ASS I DON'T SUCK! I can sense reiatsu! I feel Orihime's reiatsu all the time!"

Silence.

"I take back what I said."

"Heh."

"You're hopeless."

"SAY WHAT!")

Calmed, Ichigo released her small hand and decided to carry her to her room. Carefully, he lowered her to her small bed. Before starting their homework, she had changed to her drawstring blue pants and overlarge shirt with enormous hood. In her outfit, she looked even smaller, frailer. With a small smile, he brushed a knuckle on her cheek and rubbed her hair. His brows furrowed slightly, thinking whether to take off her hairpins or not.

_Nah. It's better if she has them on all the time._

After pulling her blanket up to her chin, he left her room, closing the door behind him. He returned to the table and continued doing their homework.

…

…

**4**

_Sunshine, that's what you are._

…

Fifteen minutes before morning bell, Orihime arrived.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

The second year orange-haired shinigami hybrid looked up and turned his head towards the door. "Oi, Orihime." He stood up and approached her. "Where have you been?" he felt Tatsuki arrived beside him as they stood in front of the auburn-haired girl.

Orihime smiled. "Gomen. I woke up late. And oh, I forgot! Good morning, Kurosaki-kun! Good morning, Tatsuki-chan!"

"Ohayo." Tatsuki leaned closer. "You're not the type of person who would wake up late, Orihime. Did you sleep okay?"

The girl positively beamed. "Hai!" And then, she flushed as she looked up to Ichigo. "Um, ano… Kurosaki-kun, last night…"

Tatsuki twitched as though electrocuted and instantly reacted. "Ichigo! What the hell—"

Ichigo stepped back to avoid Tatsuki's foot. "Oi! Watch out!"

"Please, stop, Tatsuki-chan! Why are you attacking Kurosaki-kun?" exclaimed Orihime.

"Yeah! What the hell is your problem, woman! You're crazy!" yelled Ichigo. If possible, Tatsuki swelled like a saber tooth tiger.

"What have you done to her last night, you punk!" hollered the mad woman.

Ichigo went red, comprehension dawning. "What the fuck… Oi, Tatsuki, what the hell have you been thinking! I— I didn't—"

"Tatsuke-chan, please, stop… It's embarrassing… Kurosaki-kun," the pretty healer turned to Ichigo who remained scowling heavily. "I'm so sorry—"

"Don't apologize. It's Tatsuki's mind in the gutter— _ow!_ You and your violence!" He shouted as Tatsuki's fist hit his chin.

"Ah, Tatsuki-chan, Kurosaki-kun didn't do anything wrong! Don't hurt him or the little blue men will take the mushrooms away and my spaceship will fly away!"

"…are you saying something, Orihime?" asked Tatsuki who had Ichigo in a headlock.

"Let go… you violent woman…" Ichigo growled breathlessly. Orihime sweat-dropped. Tatsuki unceremoniously released her tight hold around Ichigo. The orange-haired kept swearing under his breath, a hand on his neck.

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, Hime. That crazy woman should be the one to apologize! I was glad Rukia wasn't here anymore but you," he glared at Tatsuki who scowled back, daring him. "you took her goddamned place! What the hell is your problem! You almost killed me!"

Tatsuki sneered. "As if a simple headlock will kill you," she dropped her tone, still sneering, "_shinigami._"

Ichigo just gritted his teeth, rubbing his neck.

"Kurosaki-kun…"

Her small voice made him glanced down at her. She was looking up at him. "You…" She swallowed delicately, "…finished my… homework last night, didn't you?"

Tatsuki raised her brow. Instantly, color flooded Ichigo's cheeks. He averted his gaze and scratched the back of his head.

"Didn't you, Ichigo-kun?"

The first name calling startled him as he looked down at her. "Er,"

Orihime smiled softly, her eyes in half-moon crescents as her smile widened. Tatsuki smirked, thoroughly enjoying the sight of embarrassed and uncomfortable punk.

_Suck up. _She thought with a knowing grin as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Thank you so much."

If possible, Ichigo went redder; a goofy small grin was on his face. And for a moment, Tatsuki saw a glimpse of the small, crybaby, orange-haired adorable boy who always cried when she beat the shit out of him, but later broke into a wide, charming goofy grin at the sight of his beautiful mother.

Softly, Tatsuki snorted as she turned away and walked back to her desk.

…

…

**5**

_Hmm, I will live for five lifetimes. But… but… how will I get to see and meet you? Ah! I should not worry! Why? Because all I have to do is… to smell you and I'll know where to find you._

…

And then, it happened.

She was laughing like a child at her own joke when it happened. He had smiled— a little, only a little… that goofy smile of his adorable childhood— and tried to laugh as well when _it_ happened.

Her reiatsu _disappeared._

It didn't fade slowly, it didn't wave nor flicker. It _totally _disappeared. Like 'poof!' disappeared, leaving no trace.

Ichigo felt numb all over his body, freezing him on the spot. Wide eyed in cold terror, brows still furrowed, he whipped his head around, shouting her name as his body turned.

"_Orihime!_"

…

.

.

.

* * *

**title. **he watches, he listens, he feels, he grasps**  
summary. **it wasn't a love story, but it is a story.**  
prompt. **one april morning  
**note. **wow. a re-write, sort of.**  
disclaimer. **disclaimed.**  
**


	2. she breathes a breathless whisper

**6**

_Silence._

…

"Kurosaki-kun?"

…

…

**7**

_in full circle_

…

She was standing there.

Blinking at him.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

Caramel-colored eyes blinked repeatedly, her gaze full of worry and alarm. "What's wrong? Kurosaki-kun? Ichi—" she gasped, as Ichigo's large hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in his arms in bone-crushing hug, making her gasp. She cannot breathe properly, but she didn't mind. Blood rushed to her face, coloring her cheeks in bright crimson.

_He's… so close._

She can smell him so much.

His strong arms around her were tight, clutching her _so _close, _so _tight. Long lashes brushed against his shirt as Orihime blinked and stared above his broad shoulder. Her arms were trapped beside her and she cannot move them to embrace him back.

"K… Kurosaki-kun…?" whispered Orihime softly. He didn't reply. "Hey, Kurosaki-kun? What's wrong? Does something hurt? Oh no, did the little blue men hurt you? Even though I loved them very, very much, I won't forgive them if they hurt you!"

Kurosaki-kun remained quiet.

"Okaaaay. Kurosaki-kun doesn't want to talk. It's okay. I don't mind this warm embrace… but, ano… I cannot breathe so much…"

He did loosen his hold a bit, and after few minutes, Orihime felt his arms shift, his hands on her long, thick hair and then to the back of her head, bunching and clutching her hair as his large hands cupped her head. He moved back his head, his mouth near her ear.

"Hime."

She lifted her hands and held onto his arms, massaging the muscles there.

"I'm here."

"Damn it."

She smiled at his language.

"…I thought… well— _fuck._"

Orihime frowned worriedly. He sounded terribly upset. She tried to move her head to catch a glimpse of his face, but he was gripping her face tightly with his large hands, disabling her to move. His cheek was pressed tightly against the side of her head, his breath touching her ear. His warm breathing on her sensitive ear made her blush hard.

"What's wrong, Ichigo-kun?" she asked gently.

Ichigo exhaled deeply.

Her hands found his wrists. "Ichigo-kun… Please, tell me what's wrong."

"Keep talking."

Orihime blinked.

"Just keep… talking, Hime." He whispered in her ear.

She reddened even more. "O-okay…"

She told him about her dreams, her opinions about Bad Shield 2, how much she loved watching Laugh Hour and Don Kanonji. She told him about his funny, adorable scowls, how scary Chizuru sometimes, how she hated to leave Tatsuki-chan, Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun, Rangiku-san, Toshiro-kun, Kuchiki-san and Renji-kun. She told him how scared she was as she traveled to Hueco Mundo, how quiet the place was, how cold Aizen's stare was, how large the couch was inside her room. She told him about Tsubaki-kun who she cannot use properly because she lacked motivation to hurt others. She told him how frustrated Tsubaki-kun was at being unused, at being disregarded, at being unable to protect her because his power was to destroy, not to protect, not to heal. She told him how much she liked Tsubaki-kun even though he disliked her and her weakness. She told him that even though Tsubaki-kun was quick-tempered, he was cool and she liked him very much. And she told him how much she loved red bean paste and wasabi, but loved him so much more than Red Bean Paste Mascot.

Because he was something more, and everything and more, and wasabi and red bean paste will taste good when mixed with ketchup and onions.

Orihime felt him relaxed as she talked. His thumbs rubbed her cheeks, his mouth was on her temple.

"…I thought you disappeared." His voice was low, and crisp.

She lifted her chin to look up to his eyes. They were shadowed with his lashes.

"…But I'm not going anywhere."

She watched his jaw moved as he pressed his molars together.

"Damn right. Because I'm going after you."

"We're going to play tag?" Orihime grinned.

"No."

She pouted.

Ichigo pulled back and stared at her from his height advantage. Orihime blinked and smiled brightly. She lifted a hand between them, index finger stuck out. "I really like that scowl, Kurosaki-kun."

He narrowed his eyes. "And it's about time you call me by my first name."

She pouted, "I'm trying." A grin brightened her face. "But it's difficult to break a habit."

He smirked simply and bent down to press a kiss on her lips. Honey eyes widened first before dropping close. He pressed closer, her upper lip between his teeth. Ichigo can feel the heat of her cheeks as he kissed her more, moving his lips above hers slowly but firmly. Shyly, Orihime opened her mouth to let Ichigo taste her. Her grip on his wrist tightened as he deepened the kiss, stealing her breath, slanting his mouth over hers, tasting her, making her so warm, so protected, making her fall in love over and over again…

_Wow…_

His kisses always amazed her.

Orihime smiled prettily, panting softly as Ichigo pulled back, their noses touching.

"…that was…" Her eyes were still closed; her dark lashes a perfect contrast to her pale skin. She heard him chuckle.

"Stop picturing me naked."

Her eyes flew open, mortified. She went incredibly, unbelievably red. "I…! I'm n-n-not! Kurosaki-kuuun! I don't… I… I…"

Orihime watched the corner of his mouth lifted in an amused smirk. "I can suggest some intelligent words if you want." He said quietly, a hint of amusement in his tone. Orihime's eyes were wide in increased mortification, her mouth in a wince as she stammered.

Ichigo could not help it but to give a short laugh at her embarrassment.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

He grinned. "You're so fun to tease, princess."

Orihime bit her lip, puffed out her cheeks and pouted. "You always make fun of me!"

Ichigo shrugged carelessly. "Hmm. You looked funny. You looked about to cry."

"I do?"

The orange-haired boy dropped his hands from her face, and smirked as he stepped back from her, a hand in his pocket.

"Yeah." The smirk widened into an amused grin. "It was hilarious."

…

…

**8**

_Nimbus._

…

"I missed Kuchiki-san."

Ichigo didn't look up from his Science assignment. "I don't."

"But, I do."

"Finish your homework."

Orihime obeyed, going back to number 17 math problem. "I missed Rangiku-san."

"I don't."

"And also… Toshirou-kun."

He gave a sharp snort. "…that brat should stay short for the rest of his life."

Orihime grinned dreamily. "That way, he'll look cute forever."

Ichigo did look up at that one. "You think short is cute?"

"Yup." She finished the problem and moved to the next. "Toshirou-kun is so cute. And Kuchiki-san."

Ichigo resumed working on his science homework. "You need your eyes examined." There was a sound of paper being turned.

"How mean."

"_She's _mean." He shot back.

She kept quiet for a while, her pencil moving fast. She moved to the next problem while breaking the silence that occupied the Kurosaki household's dining area. "…I missed Renji-kun, too."

"What! You missed that monkey?" Ichigo exclaimed, slamming his pencil down. Orihime was unfazed, not looking up at his outburst, solving the complicated math problem without a calculator.

"Yes… his hair is so amazingly bright." She replied, working fast and efficiently. Five more math questions and she was done. She was always good with numbers. She will tackle English next. "When you're in the dark with Renji-kun, you don't need a flashlight! Isn't it amazing?"

"Yeah… Who needs a zoo to look for a baboon when he's around to ogle at, eh?"

Orihime widened her gray eyes at him. "That's so mean…! Renji-kun will be very hurt!" Ichigo snorted, going back to his notebook.

"You've got to have feelings to get hurt. That bastard got nothing."

"Ehhhh? So mean!"

"_He's _mean."

"But—"

"Are you done with Math?" he interrupted. Orihime blinked at him and shook her head. "Then, hurry up, Hime. You have English and History."

"Oh. I thought you want to copy my answers."

Ichigo flushed faintly. "N-no way! I can handle numbers!" Murmuring furiously to himself, he finished his Science homework, closed the notebook with a snap, tossed it aside and grabbed his Math worksheet. "Are you hungry?"

"Oh, me? No! I'm fine!"

"Recently, I noticed your appetite is off." Ichigo lifted his chin, scrutinized her sharply.

"Oh… The little blue men are having a field trip and then there's this amazing yellow bunny I saw walking on his ears." She said excitedly.

"Orihime." He knew how much she frequently watch ridiculous children TV programs.

"…hmm?"

"You're too thin to go on a diet. You don't need to lose weight. As a matter of fact," he reached out to wrap his long fingers around her thin wrist, stopping her from writing. The girl slowly looked up, glancing at him shyly. "You ought to pack up some pounds."

"…you think I'm too thin?" She asked timidly.

Ichigo blinked at her densely. "Yeah."

"…I… I don't have curves?"

"What!" His ears became red.

"You said I'm too thin. Do I look flat?"

Color attacked Ichigo's cheeks. "What the… what are you talking about?" he stammered, rising his voice shrilly. Orihime only stared up to him, biting her lip. "I'm not… referring to _your _body! I mean…" _Crap! This is so embarrassing!_ She didn't look flat. She looked… He fought the urge to scan her body, but he knew his eyes didn't have to go that far. The table was below chest level, after all. Realizing where his thoughts were heading, he mentally slapped his head. "You're… uh, forget what I said!"

"Your face is red… Oh no! Are you sick? Do you have fever?"

"I-I'm fine!" he turned his face away, still red. "Finish your math then we have some ice cream!"

…

**9**

_trance _

…

"Inoue!"

Ichigo, Chad, Ishida and Tatsuki glanced at the girl.

She didn't budge.

The scowl on Ichigo's face deepened, as the teacher marched towards the girl. He twitched, a vein pounded as the professor tapped Orihime at the top of her head with her book.

"Inoue!"

No response.

The teacher began to repeatedly smack the sleeping princess' head with the book while calling her name, "Inoue, Inoue, Inoue!" Ichigo gritted his teeth, repressing the urge to shout at their professor for hitting Orihime's head. Chad merely tapped his shoulder and gave him a thumb's up sign.

_What the hell, Chad? _

Chad, as though, reading his thoughts, pointed his head.

_Eh?_

Chad started to knock his forehead.

Ichigo blinked.

Chad shook his head.

"INOUE!"

The class watched as Orihime's head shot up quickly, startling the teacher. "No! It wasn't me! I didn't eat the dolphin!"

The class gawked, while Tatsuki slapped a palm on her forehead, Ichigo's mouth twitched, Chad sweat-dropped and Ishida shook his head, looking back to the blackboard.

"Of course, you didn't. MY CLASS IS NOT A LULLABY, INOUE!"

Orihime flushed, "sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Pay attention and do not fall asleep again!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The professor sighed. "Well, normally I'd give detentions but you're a nice kid and you've got excellent grades. So I'll let this slide, you hear, Inoue? But the second time I catch you sleeping, you'd have to have detention, got it, kid?"

Orihime smiled apologetically. "I'm so sorry, sensei."

"Sure… Now all of you… _stop gawking! Do you want detention now? _LOOK AT THE BLACKBOARD YOU PUNKS! Detention, Asano! No sleeping in class!"

Keigo burst into tears. "No fair! You're playing favorites! You're playing favorites! What do Inoue have that I don't!"

Ochi-sensei sneered. "Boobs. Got it?"

…

…

**10**

_Don't kill… don't kill my…-_

…

At lunch, Orihime had bread and wasabi. She also had bananas and a slice of red bean cupcake. She was in the middle of peeling her second banana when she dropped it.

Ichigo glanced at her.

"Oi."

Orihime kept blinking, not answering.

Frowning, Ichigo lowered his bento and scooted closer to her. "Orihime." He saw her wide eyes that kept blinking as though straining to see. "What's wrong? Oi!"

Slowly, like in slow-mo movies, the girl turned her head to look at him, wide-eyed, eyes glassy and pale. This troubled Ichigo who grasped her shoulders. "What's wrong? Damn it!"

And he felt it.

_What the hell… is wrong—_

Her reiatsu was flickering, waving. It went up— so strongly that Ishida and Chad stopped whatever they're doing and spared them a panicked glance. Then, next moment, her reiatsu went down. Below zero. Then, up again, down, up and… stabilized.

"Hime? The hell—"

Orihime had stopped blinking rapidly. "I…I'm fine—"

Tatsuki and her other females friends stopped and stared, as Ichigo held Orihime protectively.

"Bullshit!"

Tatsuki cringed and noted to herself to admonish the orange-haired boy about language in front of Orihime later.

"Where's my banana?" Orihime asked softly, smiling at her obviously upset, scowling boyfriend.

Ichigo drew a long, irritated breath. "Hime."

"I… just… felt— well, I dropped my banana and… it got blurry for a while. Aside from that, I don't feel any pain, Kurosaki-kun!"

"But—"

"What's wrong, Orihime?" asked Tatsuki, frowning.

Orihime turned to her best friend. "Oh, nothing's wrong, Tatsuki-chan! I dropped my banana… and there were these dots and flashes and darkness but I feel fine and very strong! So, please… Kuro… Ichigo-kun… Don't worry. I'm being my usual clumsy self so no worries, okay?"

He looked unconvinced but at her pleading look, he conceded. "Fine."

She reached out and touched his large hand. "If there's something wrong with me, I'll tell you right away!"

Ichigo's eyes hardened, "you better be."

Orihime smiled widely. "Hai!" She turned back to her friends. Ichigo exhaled and met Ishida and Chad's gazes. He scoffed and glared off to the distance. There was something wrong… However, he could not place his finger on it. But his instincts told him to keep his guard up.

_Fuck._

And here he was, thinking everything was back to normal.

Was it too much to ask for a happy, simple, quiet life?

…

…

**11**

_Ever after?_

…

It was.

…

.

.

.

* * *

**title. **she breathes a breathless whisper**  
summary. **-**  
prompt. **wasabi, banana and cupcake  
**note. **thank you for reading!**  
disclaimer. **disclaimed.**  
**


	3. he wants to catch a falling supernova

**12**

_smile to chase away the hole in the sky_

…

…

Ichigo slid the door open, bookbag over his shoulder. At once, Kiego came flying to greet him.

"IIIIII- CCCHI- GOOOOO~"

The scowling sophomore automatically thrust his fist forward. Kiego's forehead hit his fist with a _thunk_.

For a moment, Kiego's body was suspended in space, before crashing to the ground with a loud bam.

"Morning, Kiego." Ichigo said blankly.

Kiego sprung back to his feet. "Why don't you let me hug you for once, Ichigo! Aren't we super-duper close friends? Super friends are supposed to hug each oth—"

A foot rose behind Kiego.

_Slam._

"Good morning, Ichigo." Mizuro greeted, his foot planted firmly at the back Kiego's head, holding up his cellphone.

"Sup."

Ichigo turned his head around, his gaze landing automatically on his girlfriend's empty desk. Normally, since freshman year, Orihime would arrive first. But lately, he noticed that she always turned up 15 minutes before morning bell. She would look very tired, her eyes hooded. But as always, at the sight of him, her face will brighten and her smile will _practically _occupy her whole face.

That cute kid.

One minute before morning bell, they heard the sliding door slammed open.

"Ohayo, Tatsuki-chan!"

"Oi, wassup!"

Ichigo quickly turned his head around. Obviously, the newcomer was already looking for him, turning her head around as she tiptoed, moving her head around, up and down, side to side, her caramel eyes round and searching.

And as usual, as she found him, she jumped, her eyes sparked like fireworks, she lifted her thin arm and waved it like a windmill in wide, sweeping arcs— smiling, _smiling _that silly, pretty, pretty, shiny, super blinding smile_—_

To light up his milky way.

His smiling, jumping supernova.

…

…

**13**

_again_

…

…

"DETENTION, INOUE!"

Ichigo blinked out of his stupor at the declaration. "What the hell?" snapped the orange-haired student. "You can't do that to her!" he said, in a voice louder than what was necessary.

Expertly, he ducked as a piece of chalk hurtled in his direction.

"I can! _You _can't!"

"That's—"

"Sit down, _Kurosaki._"

"But—"

Chad lifted a finger and pointed. Brown eyes followed, and Ichigo's jaw dropped.

She was sleeping.

In class.

_Again._

Scowling heavily, he sat down grudgingly, watching Ochi-sensei stalked and stopped in front of the girl's desk. Her head lay on the desk, facing his way. Her cheek was on the desk, her lips slightly parted as she snored softly. Her hair was very long now, reaching her hips and strands scattered across her desk, and some were on her face.

Orihime slept calmly, deeply, so beautifully. And as Ichigo watched her, he felt his heart race just at the sight of her sleeping face.

Her sleep was so deep that she didn't feel the repeated smacks on her iron head. Eventually, Ochi-sensei stopped, breathed deeply and shouted.

"I'M EATING THE DOLPHINS, INOUE!"

The effect was instantaneous. Orihime straightened up on her chair, wide-eyed.

"…amazing. How do they taste?" she said softly, _so _innocently.

She was rewarded with a painful-looking blow from a notebook on top of her head. Amazingly, the girl didn't _even _flinch nor blink at the impact. Nearby, Ichigo felt numerous veins throbbing all over his face at the violence Orihime was receiving.

"This is the fourth time, Inoue!" Brown eyes blinked. Ochi-sensei continued, "this is the _fourth_ time you slept in my class. Four consecutive days, Inoue."

Color filled her pale cheeks. Orihime's mouth was slightly parted as she nodded. "Ah." She smiled apologetically. "Gomen, sensei."

"What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

Ichigo jerked at this.

Orihime waved her hands in front of her. "No, I'm not! I'm always strong and my stamina is like an elephant's! My immune system can tolerate 48 hours of steady—"

"But you always look tired." Ochi-sensei's glasses glinted. "Is Kurosaki that—"

Ichigo felt an artery explode inside his head as he jumped to his feet. "SHUT UP!"

Ochi-sensei turned to him with a grin, albeit there were veins pounding above her eyebrow. "What did you just say?"

Snarling and twitching, Ichigo barred his teeth.

"Sit down!"

Ichigo obeyed heavily.

"Inoue," the teacher continued. "You will have your detention after class. And that's final!"

"Hai… Gomen, sensei."

"Hmph."

…

…

**14**

_to detect a lie_

…

…

Finally, at 5:30, Orihime walked out of the school building, grinning sheepishly. Ichigo and Tatsuki, in her karate uniform, were waiting at the gates.

Ichigo's scowl lightened up a bit, walking towards her to meet her halfway.

"Hime."

She blushed, "So sorry, Ichigo-kun, for making you wait!"

He shook his head. "It's okay." He held her hand, and she blushed harder. Ichigo, used at her crazy blushing, ignored it. "She didn't molest you, did she?"

Her eyes widened. "_No_! No! _Kurosaki-kun!_"

"Oi, Orihime. You're acting strange." Tatsuki frowned at her as she joined the couple. "You daydream a lot but you _don't _sleep a lot in class. That's fourth, at Ochi-sensei's class. You slept thrice at English, five times in Science and you even slept during PE." The frown deepened worriedly. "What is wrong with you?"

Orihime giggled as she rubbed the back of her head. "Nothing's wrong! It's just… little blue men are sitting on my eyelids everyday and all the time and they are so heavy so I can't keep my eyes open everyday and all the time! They even glued my eyes together and—"

Ichigo put a hand at the back of her head. "Are you having nightmares?" he asked seriously.

Orihime shook her head, looking up to him. "No. I don't dream at all." She smiled at him brightly. "In fact, before seven, I am already asleep!"

She wasn't lying, Ichigo knew. Two nights ago, at eight in the evening, after destroying three Hollows, he decided to check on her. He was surprised that she was already asleep. She even missed Don Kanonji's show.

Ichigo exchanged glances with Tatsuki who remained frowning worriedly. She mentioned before, while waiting for Orihime, that the orange-haired girl's presence was getting weaker and weaker. There were moments that it was particularly strong, and Tatsuki would feel relieved. And then few seconds later, her presence will drop _slowly_. Ichigo felt the same thing, and Orihime's sleeping spells were starting to worry him. She would even fall asleep while ranting about blueberry cheesecakes and onions topped with bacons.

"Hime…"

She cocked her head to the side, frowning worriedly. "Kurosaki-kun, what's wrong? I don't feel any pain. And my appetite is—"

"Liar."

"Eh?"

Startling her, Ichigo cupped her face with both hands. Immediately, Orihime started to blush heavily, squeaking, wide-eyed. Despite herself, Tatsuki grinned.

"Are you sick?"

"N-no…" she stammered, her so-gray eyes filling her face.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. Orihime whimpered embarrassedly, her face redder. She tried to move back, but Ichigo pulled her face closer. "Are you having nightmares?"

Her big, shimmering eyes almost bulged in embarrassment. "N-no…"

Tatsuki grinned wider. This was what she called Ichigo's Ultimate Lie Detector Test. Orihime would not be able to lie _ever_ when her boyfriend's face was _that _close.

"Your appetite is off."

"No—"

Ichigo squished her face between his hands gently. Orihime squeaked, blushing furiously as Ichigo examined her closely. Her blush spread over her ears and neck. Tatsuki wanted to laugh out loud in amusement. "You didn't ask for sweet potato last night."

She blinked at him.

The scowl deepened. "Every Thursday, you eat sweet potatoes, Orihime."

She blinked owlishly at him. "I… do?"

"Yeah. But last night, you finished your assignment, you didn't annoy me by constantly asking for sweet potatoes that you always do since we dated."

"You…" She stared at him with something akin to awe.

Ichigo felt the back of ears go red.

"… So, don't lie to me about you having good appetite!" He said quickly, still squeezing her cheeks together.

With puckered lips, Orihime murmured, "…I annoy you, Ichigo-kun?"

His jaw dropped. "Did… I say that?"

She beamed at him crookedly.

He sighed. "I'm sorry."

Tatsuki's brows shot up.

"You don't annoy me, Orihime. Fine. I'm annoyed when you pretend you're okay just because you don't want me to worry."

"But I'm really alright! I just feel very sleepy all the time… Oh no! Maybe the aliens drugged me!"

Tatsuki shook her head. "Whatever! You," she glared at Ichigo who now pinched Orihime's cheeks gently while muttering 'don't lie to me, don't pretend'. "Look after her. Who knows when she'll fall asleep again."

Ichigo nodded stiffly, half-listening to Orihime who ranted about daisies and Bambi being best of friends, as he continued to roll her cheeks under his palms.

…

…

**15**

_blink and you'll miss it _

…

…

It was after lunch.

Her hand cupped her cheek, her eyes were droopy as she stared outside, lids lowered over her eyes.

"Inoue."

Her lashes lifted sluggishly.

"Please answer the math question number 15 on the board."

She smiled.

"H-hai…" her voice was so small.

Tatsuki lifted her gaze to watch her best friend rose from her seat, _so slowly. _

_Orihime…?_

"Inoue! Move faster! We don't have all the time in the world!"

Orihime was standing on her spot, unmoving _for straight _three minutes.

"Orihime?" Tatsuki heard Ichigo call from her right.

_Huh!_

Tatsuki blinked repeatedly, and stared _hard_. Her heart was thudding. Fine beads of sweat rolled down her jaw. _What…? Am I hallucinating? Did Orihime just… turn transparent?_

"Orihime!"

Ichigo's shout.

Tatsuki blinked, and her eyes widened. She stood up in alarm, pushing back her chair. "Orihime!" she yelled out as the girl keeled sideward.

…

…

**16**

_worry-me-not_

…

…

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with her?" Ichigo asked for the ninth time. Nurse-san sighed, exasperated.

"I _am _sure, Kurosaki. Her pulse rate is normal. Her respiratory rate is normal. Her blood pressure is normal. Her temperature is normal. There is nothing wrong with her."

"But why did she pass out like _that?_ There must be a reason!" Ichigo continued, controlling his temper and the volume of his voice _painfully._

"I know people don't just pass out. But Inoue-chan did. If you want, you can bring her to a hospital and get her examined."

"Damn it!"

"Ichigo!" Tatsuki snapped. "Lower your voice!"

"But—"

"I know you're worried. All of us are. Maybe she…" Uryu trailed off.

"…what?" spat Ichigo.

"Ichigo." Chad said quietly. "Calm down."

Ichigo cursed, and looked away. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry." He looked at the school nurse. "Sorry,"

"I understand, Kurosaki." She smiled down at Inoue's sleeping face. "Inoue-chan is so lovable and cute. Unintentionally, she made everyone around her worry about her. Once she wakes up, you can bring her home. I'll inform your homeroom teacher, so no worries."

Tatsuki politely thanked the nurse.

Ichigo, still scowling heavily in worry, gently touched Orihime's cheek with the back of his hand, and then, he brushed her hair off her forehead. Behind him, Chad approached him and patted his shoulder.

"Thanks, Chad." Ichigo muttered gratefully without taking his eyes off Orihime's face. His friend flashed him a thumb's up sign.

…

…

**17**

_she dreams but it isn't a dream_

…

…

Honey-colored eyes snapped wide open. "K-Kurosaki-kun!"

Beside the bed, Ichigo jumped, hearing her strangled cry. "Orihime!"

The girl turned to him, wide-eyed, looking confused for a moment and very pale.

Ichigo stood up from his chair beside the clinic bed. He bent down to her, reaching for her. "What's wrong? Are you hu—" Tears filled her terrified eyes. Dread gripped his heart seeing her scared eyes. "Orihime, wha—"

"Kurosaki-kun!" Startling him, she sat up quickly, small hands reaching for him. Ichigo was worried, sitting down heavily, as the girl latched onto his neck, gripping him close to her.

"Whoa… Orihime?" He wrapped an arm around her body, one hand at the back of her head. "What's up?" He whispered into her hair, rubbing her scalp to soothe her.

"I… I…" she stammered, her voice was thin. He felt her press closer, as though trying to glue herself to him. "I… I'm s-scared…"

Ichigo frowned. "What's _wrong_?" He leaned back, but struggled. Orihime was holding onto him tightly with all her frail strength. "Orihime." His hand sought her face. Finally, he was able to pull away slightly, just enough for him to peer down at her pale, pretty face. Her eyes were wide and teary. When his thumb caressed her cheekbone, she sniffed, and her nose scrunched up cutely.

"What is it?" She replied by gripping his uniform at his shoulders. He leaned closer to her face, his eyes looking deeply into hers. "Tell _me._"

Her lips parted. "I… I had a very s-scary dream."

He nodded, indicating her to continue.

"Y-you… you…" Her lower lip trembled and she gripped him tighter. In response, his arm around her small body tightened. She moved her face closer, and Ichigo fought down a blush at their closeness. And her plump chest was pressed _rather _hard against his. He wanted _very much _to kiss her now. But he waited patiently for her to continue.

Orihime sniffed loudly. "…y-you _disappeared!" _Ichigo blinked, his previous thoughts freezing. "And I c-can't find you anywhere! I t-tried to look… _everywhere _but I… I… I can't find you!" She said quickly, her words tangled but Ichigo understood every word. Her hands were on his collar now. She was clearly terrified. "Kurosaki-kun, it felt so real! That dream… and I kept calling out your name but you… you… you… I can't… You left and I can't—"

Ichigo, not knowing what to do to calm her, kissed her. Orihime stiffened, her eyes shimmered, and she kissed him back shyly, closing her eyes.

"Don't cry." He whispered after kissing her softly.

"K-Kurosaki-kun…"

He hugged her tighter, pulling her head towards his neck, his hand tangled on her hair.

"It's alright."

"I-I'm sorry… I—"

"What are you apologizing for?"

Orihime pulled back her head and grasped his collars again, tugging him down at her eye-level. "Don't leave. If… If you want to leave, please tell me where you are going. Please tell me to wait and I will—"

"Hey, hey! I'm _not _going anywhere." Ichigo interrupted, frowning slightly. "Besides," he raised a brow at her. "You're the _one _who have a habit of _leaving _without saying anything."

Orihime's whole face flushed, understanding what he meant. Her grip loosened on his shirt.

"The point is," he narrowed his eyes at her, "I'm _not _going anywhere. Unlike you."

"H-hey…!"

"If I'm going to leave," Ichigo continued as if she hadn't spoken, smirking at her crookedly. "I'm going to take you with me."

Orihime looked at him with wide-eyed innocence, and then she smiled blushingly at him, her eyes happy, grateful and hopeful. Her eyes went wide as Ichigo leaned down and kissed her cheek, deliberately teasing her as his lips lingered on her cheek far longer than necessary. He can feel the heat of her cheek on his.

"How do you feel?" He half-grinned at her, amused.

She pouted, and lowered her lashes shyly. "I-I'm f-fine." She stammered, lowering her hands, now aware how close they were. "Um, what happened?"

"You fainted."

Orihime gawked. "I did?"

"Yeah…" He scowled, "You scared me back there."

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—_ow…_" She pouted as Ichigo gently pinched her cheek and pulled. "I-Ichi…"

"Now I understand why Tsubaki always pull your cheek." He smirked at her pouting, cute face. "Don't say sorry all the time."

Orihime beamed at him. "Okay. Um…" Her eyes blinked questioningly. "You stayed here… with me?"

"Yeah." Ichigo slid his hands off her hair and body, standing up. He was scowling as he rubbed the back of his neck. "There are perverts here that might take advantage of you while you sleep." He spat, glowering.

Orihime giggled behind her hand. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah." He bent down and took their bags. "Are you ready to go?" His brown eyes glanced over at her. The girl nodded vivaciously, lifting the blanket off her. Ichigo's face went red suddenly. "H-hey! Y-your s-s-skirt…" he stuttered, looking away, but not before secretly enjoying an eyeful of pale, smooth-looking legs. Her skirt had ridden up, almost exposing her underwear.

"Huh? Did you say something, Ichigo-kun?"

Ichigo pressed a hand on his face. _Damn. _He fought down a nosebleed. Of course, he _knew _how those legs felt like. He felt them once— _maybe twice, thrice… I lost count already…_ but touching and seeing them were two different things. He very much preferred touching those amazing legs than… stare at them. Not that the sight was unappealing, but… he really favored savoring a touch… Ichigo felt a nosebleed coming on, realizing where his thoughts were heading. "Nothing." He answered quickly, his response muffled by his hand.

"Come on."

…

.

.

.

* * *

**title. **he wants everything and more**  
summary. **it wasn't a love story, but it is a story.**  
prompt. **fade  
**note. **thanks for reading! :D**  
disclaimer. **disclaimed.**  
**


	4. she keeps smiling and smiling

**00**

…_it hurt to remember you miss crazy/beautiful_

…

…

_Ichigo?_

He can still remember how she smiled, how she laughed, how she whispered his name under his lips, his teeth, his tongue.

…_K-K…Kuro…s-s-saki…k-k-kun…_

He held her tighter.

Behind him, around him, he can hear Rukia, and Rangiku, and Tatsuki.

"_I love you, I love you, I love you."_

…

…

…

…

**18**

_you know how to take my breath away, LITERALLY_

…

…

Bell rang, signaling the end of the day.

The class erupted in a cheer. "Man, weekend!" Some boys hollered, exchanging high fives.

In her desk, Orihime packed up her books and pencils.

"Oi."

She looked up to her tall, tall boyfriend. Automatically, she beamed at him, and its brightness matched the boy's hair. The orange-haired teen returned her gesture with a half-smile. "Ready to go?"

"Yup!"

"Oi, Orihime! See you on Monday!" Tatsuki called out before running out of the room to her karate practice. Orihime waved, giggling.

They exited the room, the school building and the gates, and were walking down the street. Ichigo was silent, as usual, listening to Orihime rant about Teletubbies, Don Kanonji and Laugh Hour.

"Hey, Kurosaki-kun."

He didn't look at her.

She pouted.

"Kurosaki-_kuuuuun_~"

Again, she was ignored.

She huffed, chewed her lower lip and puffed her cheeks. Her tongue slipped out and licked her lips.

"Ichi… _goooo_."

He turned his head around and looked down at her with a smug grin.

Orihime pouted. "That's mean."

He shrugged and looked forward again; his bookbag slung over one shoulder. With his other hand, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"What is it?" he asked, and frowned. Breeze ruffled the top of his orange hair.

"Um…" she bit her lip. "Um… mmm… uh, um! Ano…"

"I see." The corner of his mouth quirked.

She blinked, and looked up. "…hm?"

Chocolate brown eyes glinted. Orihime cocked her head to the side, curious. "You want me to kiss you, don't you?"

Caramel-colored eyes widened comically, filling her face. Origime recoiled and blushed violently. "W-what!" Her other hand started to wave frantically around. "A… ano… no! _No!_ I'm… I-I… No! I … I mean—"

"Yeah, yeah." Ichigo nodded slowly, a mocked understanding.

"Kurosaki-_kuuuuuun_!"

"Your face's gonna blow up, Hime."

Truly. Her color was _dangerously _red. Ichigo wanted to grin wider, but resisted. He got a reputation to take care of.

Orihime pushed a hand on her face. Her whole face was very hot and _very _red. "S-stop t-teasing me…"

Her face was _so _funny now, so red, and her orange hair atop her red face curiously made her funnier. He could not help it. Ichigo was grinning now. "You make it so easy."

"Kurosaki—"

Eyebrows snapped together in deep furrow. "I'm _not _going to talk to you."

"Ichi—"

He turned his face away with a grunt.

"And I'm not going to kiss you."

"I-Ichi…_go_…"

He grinned smugly.

"Please…" She pouted.

Ichigo chuckled. "Fine. I'll stop." They stopped walking, and he turned fully to her, towering over her. From his height advantage, the orange-haired boy leaned down to her. He raised one eyebrow, and Orihime was in awe on how he managed to keep scowling that scary, adorable scowl while raising an eyebrow. He's… a superhero.

"What is it?"

"Um…" Orihime averted her gaze shyly, biting her lip. Ichigo raised a brow.

"…?"

"Tomorrow…"

"…is Saturday."

"_Ichigo_."

He half-smiled. "Right. Sorry."

She beamed at him.

Ichigo arched a brow curiously. "So, what is it? Tomorrow…?"

Orihime gulped.

"Ano… um," she bit her lip. Ichigo waited. She looked up, her large eyes hopeful and shy. "Are you… busy tomorrow?" she asked quietly.

Ichigo watched her quietly.

"Let's see." He watched her expression and almost smiled when her face slightly fell. _Ah. _"I get it."

Orihime blinked at him slowly.

Slowly, he started to smile, straightening up to his full height. Vehicles rushed past behind Ichigo, and wind pushed against his hair that seemed longer now. Few locks fell over his deep brown eyes, and a small smile was tugging at his lips.

"But I want to hear it from _you,_" he paused teasingly, grinning a _little,_ smirking a _little. _"Princess."

The way he said the last word made Orihime blushed hard. The flush spread up to her ears and down to her neck. "P-please…" She whimpered, pouting.

His grin widened, and Orhime wanted to sink in mortification.

"You have to say _it._" He insisted, his grip on her hand tightening, groping her fingers, feeling the movement if her fragile bones under his skin. Orihime squirmed under his intense stare.

"…will y-y-you… g-g-go o-out with m-m-m-me…?" she stammered, her words tumbling off her mouth. "…t-t-t-tomorrow!"

Silence.

Orihime glanced up without moving her head.

Still, he didn't reply. She started to despair.

"You forgot something."

His voice was serious, low, and _oh-so-scratchy, _scraping at her skin, making her shudder deliciously.

Shyly, she lifted her gaze. He was smiling crookedly at her, still— amazingly— with a soft frown, his half-lidded brown eyes intense and penetrating, gentle and teasing, pleased and smug.

Orihime smiled widely, understanding his feelings, without having him to convey them.

"Will you go out with me tomorrow…"

He started to grin like a nine year old boy.

Orihime added softly, eyes in half-moons as she smiled happily.

"…_Ichigo_?"

…

…

…

…

…

**19**

_i like your legs especially if they're bare and touching mine_

…

…

He arrived at her doorstep, and knocked.

"Ah! Kurosaki-kun? Is that you?" Ichigo opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted when Orihime let out a squeal. "Please wait for a moment— _ow! _Ahhh!"

"Orihime!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!"

Patiently, he waited, hands inside his jeans.

The door opened, revealing her beaming face. "Kurosaki-kun!"

"Yo." He gave her attire a sharp appraisal. The scowl deepened. "I don't like that dress."

She blinked. "But…" Her dress was off-white with puffed out short sleeves and small yellow sunflowers design at the bottom of the flowing skirt. It didn't reach her knees, and the skirt revealed her long, luscious legs. The collar was round, exposing her fragile neck.

"It's _short._" He gestured to her legs. "It shows your knees."

"But—"

Her uniform skirt was _shorter._

"Go and change." His voice was low, but firm, giving her no choice but to pout.

"Alright." Orihime left the door open. Ichigo stepped in; hands still inside his pockets, his posture slouched.

"Something longer." He called out to her.

"Haiiii."

"And _not _white."

Few minutes later, Orihime reappeared. "How about this? Is this alright?"

She was now wearing a yellow sundress that made her copper hair looked brighter. The sleeves were short and a hood was attached at the back of the dress. It was knee-length, and the skirt was loose around her thin legs, but the top clung to her chest.

His stare lingered _there _the longest.

"It's _tight—_"

"Kurosaki-_kuuuun!_"

"What? I don't like it. It's…"

"Come on… I love this dress! I shine! And I looked like a miniature sun, ne?" She smiled at him cutely. Ichigo shook his head.

"Fine. Wear your shoes…"

She beamed at him happily and ran inside her room to retrieve yellow, flat loafers with yellow flowers design. "I'm so happy, Kuro—"

He raised a brow frowningly.

Orihime giggled, "_Ichigo._"

"Right." He grabbed her hand, and held it tight.

"Thank you."

He looked back at her, arching a brow questioningly.

"For coming with me! I'll try my best to make this day enjoyable! Believe it!"

Ichigo was silently watching her beneath his lashes. "That's easy, Hime."

Her eyes rounded. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Startling her, Ichigo grabbed her chin with his hand and kissed her, trapping her against her door. Orihime's face went red, eyes popping out in shock. She whimpered under his mouth, his tongue inside her mouth. Her knees began to weaken, hands latching on the front of his shirt, eyes losing focus as she stared dazedly at nothing in particular.

"Mmm…"

Her lashes fluttered, and Orihime _refused _to close her eyes, or else…

"We can stay here, you know." Ichigo murmured gruffly against her parted lips. "And I'd still _enjoy_ my day." He pressed closer, and Orihime squeaked. His height completely dwarfed her as he bent over her. "What do you think… _Princess?_" His scent was flooding her senses, and he was so warm. Orihime's heart thudded violently, flushing harder as she inhaled his warm breath on her swollen lips.

"Ku… Ku…"

He cupped her face and kissed her cheek, his lips lingering on her skin. Orihime squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip.

_Be strong!_

…but his face was pressed against her cheek.

And he smelled so…

"Hime."

He whispered on her ear quietly and Orihime almost swooned at his _low, low, low _voice.

"No!"

Shocking Ichigo, Orihime started to flail her arms frantically. Left with no choice (rather than get hit by her flailing fists), Ichigo stepped away, staring at his beautiful girl with slightly dumbfounded expression.

"No, no, no, no, _no!_ I won't be beaten! I shall conquer the Red Bean Paste Kingdom and rule their forever and ever and ever! I won't allow such tactic to distract me!" She continued her tirade, complete with poses and different mimicked voices.

She was panting by the time she was finished.

"Are you done?" asked Ichigo flatly.

Orihime smiled at him innocently.

"Yes."

…

…

**20**

_you're my sweetest disaster, _

…

"Amusement park?"

He didn't look amused.

Orihime ran ahead of him, stopped in front of him, twirled once— the skirt lifted higher than what was proper much to Ichigo's displeasure— and stopped to face him. She giggled at his scowling face.

"Yes!" Her smile filled her eyes with such beautiful glow, making her shine, shimmer, and it was _splendid._ With her small hands, she took his large hand and squeezed it gently. Her smile softened as she looked up to his scowling face. "Let's make good memories, ne…"

Her eyes crinkled in half-moons.

"…Ichigo-kun?"

…

…

**21**

_rolling, tumbling, smiling disaster_

…

He stared at her quietly with an intense, unreadable expression in his deep, half-lidded eyes.

After a few minutes of him staring and her smiling, Ichigo sighed sharply and wrapped his fingers around hers.

"Yeah."

He was rewarded with a more beautiful smile. And at _that _smile, Ichigo can't help but smile a little.

"Plenty of memories."

.

.

.

* * *

**title. **she keeps smiling and smiling**  
summary. **-**  
prompt. **ichigo, orihime  
**note. **thank you for reading! :D**  
disclaimer. **disclaimed.**  
**


	5. he breathes her in

**22**

_he says, I want to capture that smiling face and place it in a glass case_

…

"Wow! Wow… _Wow!_"

She could not stop gushing in awe, looking around excitedly. "So many food… so many to do… _Wow._" She turned her head around quickly, caramel locks flying around her face and over her shoulders. Ichigo's quick reflexes saved his head from being struck as Orihime shook her little fists in her childlike enthusiasm.

"Look! Cotton candies… and there are _so _many colors!"

Ichigo grunted.

"This is… amazing! _Look!_"

He didn't know why he bothered obeying her, but he _did._ He saw a clown juggling colorful pin balls. Before she could scamper off somewhere— preferably shoot forward towards the clown and grab at those twirling pin balls, he grabbed her hand, stopping her. "Oi, calm down."

Auburn hair flew about as Orihime looked aback at him. She beamed, and Ichigo thought he'll go blind for a while. That smile was notoriously _bright._

"Let's try the Ferris Wheel!"

"Eh?"

She misread the arching of his eyebrows. "Are you scared?" She cocked her head to the side. She smiled determinedly, making a fist with her free hand. "Don't worry! I'll hold your hand!"

"I'm _not _scared." Ichigo said, slightly aggravated. _That damn thing? Scary?_ **Please.** He kicked Aizen's ass, Hollows' ass, Arranacars' ass, Grimjaww's ass, Ulquiorra's ass… And a colorful, skeletal framework would not make him piss in fear. However, as the cart rose (the square cart had transparent walls and _floor) _he could not help but stare down in trepidation.

"Amazing… We're going higher, higher, higher!"

"Yeah." He grunted, fixing his gaze determinedly somewhere not transparent.

Orihime whipped a finger, her other hand tugging at the sleeve of his shirt. "Look, look, _look_!" Did she have to repeat it three times? But he looked _anyway._ "Wow… We're so high now… We can see Karakura High School! Look! Look!"

He sighed, shaking his head at her obvious glee.

"Hey, Kurosaki-kun… Oh! LOOK!"

Ichigo shook awake as Orihime grabbed his sleeve.

"That's _your _house!"

"Eh?" he leaned forward, looking over Orihime's right shoulder. "No, it's not."

She pouted, "it's not? Are you sure?"

"Yeah…"

Ichigo remained looking over her shoulder, his face near hers.

Orihime stayed silent, wide-eyed as she scanned the landscape before her. "It's so… amazing… to be up here." She said softly. Ichigo glanced at her face. "I feel so much closer to the sky!" She smiled serenely. "To… _Onii-chan._"

There was no sadness in her voice or eyes. Only softness.

He put a hand on her left shoulder, near her nape. The tips of his long fingers were on her thin collarbones, his thumb behind her neck. Orihime jerked in surprise at his touch, and quickly turned her head towards where his face hovered above her other shoulder. She squeaked loudly, realizing how close their faces were, their noses bumping. The girl was about to move her head back to put more distance between their noses, but Ichigo anticipated the move. With his large hand, he shoved her forward to him, her lips crashing on his sloppily, resulting in a small squeak from Orihime. Burning brown eyes remained open as his tongue slipped inside her mouth expertly. The brown eyes flashed dark amber as her eyes widened in mortification, suppressed desire and _something more_ before snapping close tightly, whimpering softly.

His eyes drifted close, not before catching the tints of deep red color that flooded her cheeks.

_So adorable._

So innocent.

So deliciously corruptible.

At first, the kiss was soft, and the tongue inside her mouth was gentle. He pressed closer, gripping her neck gently, but firmly, keeping her in place as he kissed her slowly, deeply… _deeply._

She was tensed. Maybe due to shock, embarrassment; she was, after all, very shy, but at the same time, eager. She wanted to please her Kurosaki-kun, no matter how deeply mortified she was sometimes. Slowly, she leaned into his kiss, her body softening. Her lips opened more, and her tongue slid against his shyly.

Ichigo lifted his other hand to cup her cheek, pulling her face closer to him, pulling her lips closer to his. The bright orange locks on his forehead mingled with light auburn bangs as he angled his head to thrust his tongue deeper. His teeth worked on her lower lip, and then another slow, _very oh-chocolaty-delicious _thrust of his tongue stole her breath. Their saliva mingled hotly between their locked lips. Often times, they mingled inside her mouth. Sometimes, they mixed inside his.

Her tongue moved under his, and the tip touched his lower lip.

He gripped her face tighter.

Her skin tingled, and under her dress, she sizzled.

The forearm of the hand on her cheek was nestled between her bountiful breasts, pressing hard against her sternum. His skin was warm, and she can feel it on her skin despite the fabric of her dress.

It pierced her skin, and the warmth spread inside her body.

Inside her heart.

The kiss went on, wet, hot, desperate.

She was breathing fast.

_Ichigo…_

…

…

**23**

_she says, I want to fall in cheesy, corny, red bean, wasabi love with you._

…

He gave, he took.

That's how he kissed.

And she was amazingly in love.

Her cheeks were red, and they were brighter than her hair. Her heart was pounding, and it felt good, although it kind of hurt. Her lips felt raw, but it felt good, too, and his teeth continued to chew on them as though he was nibbling on Hershey's. Her neck was in awkward position, and it was kind of tiring, but she didn't want to move and ruin the moment…

She was breathless now, very hot and bothered _now_.

Slowly, so teasingly, his tongue slipped out of her warm mouth— but it lingered halfway, to tease her— and back inside where it belonged. Her swollen lips were still parted; she was panting softly, hot breath touching his lips.

"Orihime."

Her eyes flew open. His eyes were half-lidded. They were dark amber, but they were chocolate-brown, too, and they were bright, they were flashing, like firelights, and they _pierced._ They burned. They plunder, they took.

And she willingly gave him everything.

…

…

**24**

_he says, I want you to breathe me in_

…

He smiled a little.

It was more of the corner of his mouth turned up slightly, and to Orihime, it was kind of… _sexy_.

Her face burned.

The smile broadened until he was grinning.

Her face burned more.

His mouth opened, and unwittingly, her eyes lowered to those thin but firm lips— that gave, that took, _hungrily, hotly, greedily_— and she watched them move slowly, opening, but they closed again, smiled that _small _smile again, and then, his tongue— this time, honey-brown eyes rounded, watching _that _flesh –came out to lick his lower lip before _speaking_.

"Orihime."

A shiver convulsed her spine at that _low, low, low, _oh-my-god scratchy voice. She gulped thickly and quickly averted her gaze. Blush went up to her cheeks and ears, and down to her neck.

"K… Kuro— _eep!_" She yelped when Ichigo suddenly grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to properly face him. "Kurosa—"

His mouth swallowed the name from her lips, and instantly, she went limp, opening her mouth, receiving, giving him everything, letting him take everything. The kiss was different now. He was closer now. Her head tilted back obediently, as he continued to feast on her mouth, lips and tongue feverishly. One hand moved up harshly, from her shoulder, neck and to the back of her head. It fisted, gathering thick locks around the digits, pushing her lips closer and harder to his mouth to kiss her fuller, deeper, harder. With his other arm, he wrapped it around her small frame, pulling him closer to his body, crushing her in a tight hug.

"Ah… Ku… Ku…" Orihime panted against his teeth, but he interrupted her with another thrust of his tongue between her teeth. She shook, hands gripping the front of his shirt shakily.

"Kiss me back." Ichigo growled breathlessly, and then kissed her again.

Orihime struggled under his lips, moaning.

"Don't… Don't touch my hair _like _that." She whispered thickly.

"And don't whisper to me _like _that."

He rubbed his nails against her scalp. Orihime bit down on his lower lip, suppressing a moan.

He rubbed harder.

She bit harder.

His embrace tightened, she gasped.

"Kuro—"

"Kiss me."

"I'm… I'm… t-trying but… y-you are—"

He slanted his mouth over hers and _breathed her in._

…

…

**25**

_she says, I want you to breathe into me _

…

It was wetter, hotter, harder, more desperate.

_Please, don't touch my hair like that…_

Her eyelids fluttered open, her gaze dazed as she stared at nothing in particular dreamily.

He freed her lips only you breathe, and then, he dived in again.

She let him.

"Ichigo." She whispered against his tongue, and took it inside her mouth. Her lips move with his slowly while he ate at her lips hungrily.

"_I want you to always remember how I _feel _like. I don't want to feel you less. I want you feel me. Really, really feel me."_

She understood what he meant.

Thus, she took everything.

Everything he gave her.

Everything and so much, so much, so much more.

…

…

**26**

_he says, I want you give me everything you have because I'm selfish, I'm greedy and I'm always hungry and I don't fucking care if it's a crime. I want your everything because you are mine, and I'll give you anything you want, anything… anything._

…

A throat cleared.

Ichigo thrust deeper.

"Ahem."

Orihime was pushing against his chest. Reluctantly, he pulled away from her swollen lips, and she looked so _fucking _beautiful with that flushed face and bruised, damp lips.

The throat cleared again.

Eyes flashing violently, Ichigo looked over his shoulder, orange locks falling over his forehead and intense eyes. The scowl was apparent, dark and piercing. The Ferris wheel operator gulped, balking in fear at the intensity of the stare.

It was _literally _a bone-melting stare.

"Er," the man in charge of the ride rubbed his nape. "The ride—"

"Another round, please."

A blink, and then, a nod.

"Gotcha."

"Kurosaki-kun—"

She squeezed her eyes shut when he took her lips again. But the kiss was softer.

"You're right." Ichigo whispered against her swollen lips. Bright brown eyes opened to meet his intense amber stare. It was magic, how he managed to make her blush just by _looking _at her. "Let's make memories." He grinned slowly, and her blush darkened.

"I like the sound of it." He watched Orihime's eyelashes fluttered as he dug his fingers into her thick hair. He looked deeply into honey-colored depths, smiling slightly while she smiled big and soft and dreamy. Her smile slowly fell when he started to massage her scalp.

"Um… u-uh… d-don't…" she trailed off, eyes dazed. "I r-really d-d-don't… um, d-don't do that…"

Ichigo only smirked.

"R-really, you s-should not…" stammered Orihime. Her eyes softened when his hand went down to her cheek, his expression serious and intense. His frown deepened slowly as he continued to stare at her.

"Kurosaki-kun…"

He flashed a quick small smile.

She smiled sweetly.

"I love you."

His frown softened a little, and his thumb rubbed her swollen lower lip.

"Yeah." He murmured. He watched his thumb caressed her lip.

He lifted his gaze to her curious eyes.

He swallowed inaudibly.

"Yeah."

Her lips smiled under his thumb.

"Don't you dare forget that."

.

.

.

* * *

**chapter. **he breathes her in**  
disclaimer. **applied  
**prompt/s. **bubblegum lips**  
warning.** none/lameness? NO WAY! :))**  
note.** thank you for clicking :)) and reading! If you have time, please leave a review XD


	6. she chases after rainbows, unfaltering

**27**

_they say, he's got the weirdest devotion, 'cause his eyes never strays_

The Ferris wheel ride ended with swollen lips, rumpled clothes, flushed cheeks and irritated frown. Ichigo wrapped his large hand around hers, pulling her forward and out of the ride.

"Ichigo-kun—" she squeaked. "Ano, s-slow down… _Eep!_" Ichigo stopped abruptly and Orihime promptly slammed onto his back, her face hitting his shoulder blade. "Whoopie…!" She pouted, rubbing a palm over her nose. "Kurosaki-kun has really strong muscles!" Orihime exclaimed happily, standing on her tiptoes to peek over his shoulder and look at his face.

Honey-brown eyes blinked.

"Uh, Ichigo…?" She mumbled, blinking repeatedly. "What's wrong? Did I hit your back hard? Oh no! I'm—" she squeaked again as Ichigo made a left sharp turn, another abrupt pause (and Orihime walked into Ichigo's back _again_) and as Orihime tiptoed – _again_ – to look over his shoulder, her eyes turned big as her gaze fell on a juggling clown, a dancing koala, a magician in purple robes with moon and stars and—

Ichigo grabbed her hand before she could rocket forward. He knew _this _will happen. Seconds before, he saw a _Barney_ mascot. Quickly, he changed directions, but, alas – they ended up _here. _Ichigo knew she'll start jumping, bouncing and running, and those will result to danger. He _had _to keep her on her feet.

Her hair flew around her as she turned her head around to look at him. Ichigo raised a brow at her; she pouted at first, wrinkled her nose a little, but later smiled like an obedient school girl.

His arching brow rose higher at her and at her widening smile. And he could not help it, but stare at that mouth, at those lips.

_Hm._

Eyelids lowered over smoldering eyes. He… Ichigo felt his jaw muscles move. He _liked _that _look, _the way she looked with that swollen lips, flushed cheeks, innocent wide eyes and… _really _swollen, red lips.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

Slowly, he let go of her hand, and her large eyes stared up at him like a baby fawn, slightly confused. Ichigo jammed his fists inside his pockets and shrugged.

"Go."

Her eyes shimmered, literally. Ichigo was oddly reminded of puppies.

"_But_, don't run." He added with a scowl.

Beaming, Orihime saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!" His brows made a straight line above his eyes at her playfulness. He exhaled, and watched her walk – _briskly_ – towards the magician.

With intense, narrowed stare, Ichigo watched her back, keeping a solid eye on her.

Passersby walked between them, at the same time, he blinked.

And for a _blink _of second, a _split _second – he felt her _disappear_. Her reiatsu shut down.

Sounds muted.

Brown eyes snapped open.

A large group of people crowded in front of him, between _them_.

_What the fuck – _Ichigo jerked forward, hands flying off his pockets.

_Orihime!_

…

…

**28**

_they say, he's got the weirdest devotion, 'cause he's selfishly in love_

…

It was like someone switched a lighter on, because her spiritual pressure flickered back to life in split second later.

_Shit! What the hell is wrong with me? I keep getting this weird feeling of Orihime's reiatsu disappearing only to find it again a second later! Damn it!_

The crowd before him, between them, chatted animatedly and loudly among themselves.

Cursing again, Ichigo plowed his way in through the crowd, grunting and glaring. At last, he managed to get across and immediately, he looked up and around, looking for a head of deep red-orange.

"Fuck!" He gritted out, his scowl deepening. _Where the hell did she go? _

"Ichigo! Ichigo!"

"…Hime." With a dark frown, he started walking around, keeping his stare narrowed.

"Ichigo!"

"Where are –"

"_Kurosaki-kun!_"

…

_There._

Ichigo saw her jumping up and down, waving her thin arms above her head, catching _everyone's _attention. Truthfully, with a bright head and a dazzling smile like that, who would not notice her? With a sweat-drop, the orange-haired hybrid made his way towards her, and when he reached her, he grabbed her thin arms, lowered them to her sides and told her, "stop jumping."

Orihime grinned. "Kurosaki-kun!"

"Yeah." He scrutinized her, and let her warmth calmed his thundering chest. Her grin faltered, and Ichigo bet that she was sensing his anxiety through his reiatsu's rapid and fluctuating pattern.

Her thin eyebrows slanted. "Ichigo-kun…?" His eyelids lowered as she placed her small hands on his pectorals. Worry flashed across her face, filling her large so-gray eyes. "…I'm sorry? Are you hurt?"

Ichigo took one of her hands and squeezed it, relishing the feeling of her skin on his, the movement of her bones, her being _alive_. "No."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"But –"

"It's okay. I'm just being… selfish." He cleared his throat. "No. Paranoid."

She blinked, confused. "Eh?"

"Forget it. Where's your stupid magician?"

Orihime pouted and poked him gently. "Hey! He's _amazing_!" Ichigo grunted, unimpressed. "Anyway," she tugged on his sleeve. "Let's go there!" He followed her finger. Instantly, his brows lowered in a blank expression.

"No."

…

…

**29**

_they say, he's got the weirdest devotion, 'cause his hands are larger than hers_

…

"No." He repeated. He _refused _to be subjugated by a _simple_ look.

"Please?"

"No. Here," He took out his thin flip-phone and flipped it open. He switched on the phone's built-in camera. "I'll take pictures of you."

"But –"

_Click._

Ichigo smirked.

Realizing what he did, Orihime flushed. "Kurosaki-_kuuuun!_" She reached for his phone, but Ichigo raised his hand. Blushing, Orihime stood on her tiptoes, reaching for it, like an auburn kitten, pawing for a prize. The tips of her fingers hardly reached his hand, and Ichigo was enjoying her futile attempts to grab his phone. "What was that for? Kurosaki – I mean, _Ichigo-kuuuun~_"

Ichigo smirked and with one hand, he captured her wrists and pulled them down on his chest. Looking down at her, he gave her a half-grin, maneuvered his phone, aimed, zoomed in and clicked.

"Heh."

Orihime gawked, eyes widening. "K-K-Kurosaki-kun! That's… that's… e-e-e-e-embarrassing!" She squeaked out, her face in bright red color. He shrugged, still holding her wrists in one hand as he examined his handiwork.

"Kurosaki-kun, delete it, please!"

"No way." He deadpanned.

"Kurosaki-k – huh? N-N-Not again!"

He grinned fiercely. "It's fun." He took another photo of her, and his grin widened.

"K-K-Kurosaki-kun!"

"Keep calling me by my surname and I'll lock you up somewhere dark."

Her face erupted in bright red color, her expression confounded. And Ichigo captured _that _look again. Her jaw dropped in mortification. "_Kurosaki-kun!_"

"Heh."

Orihime freed her wrists and bumped her forehead on his arm. "S-stop taking pictures of me."

"Hm."

"Ichi!"

He raised an eyebrow. "This is _my _phone." He pointed out to her with a small smirk. "I'll use it anytime I want."

She pouted her lips. "No fair."

Ichigo shrugged. "Keep pouting your lips. I'll do something about it." Orihime blushed and crossed her arms under her breasts, looking up to him with a wrinkle on her nose.

"You're mean."

"I know." He took another picture much to Orihime's chagrin, before pocketing it. "What's next?"

"_There._"

He frowned at her. "I said no, didn't I?"

"Please, Kurosaki-kun!" She tugged on his sleeve, while Ichigo made a disgruntled face, looking away from her face. "Ichigo! Please, just once? _Please?_"

Ichigo scrutinized her from the corner of his eye. Few locks of orange hair fell over his eyes. Orihime waited patiently, watching Ichigo's eyes darken and his lashes lower.

"Fine."

Her face lit up. "R-really?" Orihime knew Ichigo hated photo booths with passion. And for him to acquiesce after two to three 'please' was –

"What are we waiting for?"

Orihime blinked at this and her brows wrinkled, seeing the way the corner of his mouth lift. She liked watching his lips. Whether they were in a scowl, half-smile, crooked grins, arrogant smirks, it did not matter.

"What are you staring at, huh?"

The redhead squeaked and blushed. "Alright! Let's go, Ichigo!"

…

…

**30**

_they say, he's got the weirdest devotion, 'cause he keeps running after the wind, after the memories, after the dreams, after happy-ever-afters_

…

"Ah~ Amazing! Look! Ten to fifteen pictures, Ichigo-kun! And we can even convert them to stickers!"

"Tch."

"…Hmm? If you really don't want to, we –"

"You want to do this, right? Then, let's go."

…

…

**31**

_they say, he's got the weirdest devotion, 'cause he doesn't stop looking for her_

…

She smiled, he scowled.

She scowled, he smirked.

She stared up to the camera with wide-eyed innocence, he glared at with vehemence.

She grinned widely, he looked dead-bored.

She put an arm around his neck, he looked down at her.

She looked surprised when he grabbed her jaw, he had a deadpan expression.

She looked up to him, he looked down to her.

She blushed, he smirked.

"Kuro —"

He cut her off as he pressed his lips on her.

And kissed her, kissed her, kissed her, and _kissed her._

_Click._

_Click._

_Click._

_Click._

_Click._

"…um, er… uh… ah… eh… uh…"

He grinned smugly, still holding her face, watching her intently. Her eyes widened more as he leaned closer, his breath touching her damp lips.

"… Speechless, huh?"

Her _whole _face burst into bright red color.

"K-K-K-K-Ku… _Kurosaki-kun!_"

…

…

**32**

_they say, he's got the weirdest devotions, 'cause he runs after her disappearing hand_

…

"Nice pics."

"Noooo~" He arched a brow at her. Orihime flushed shyly. "I mean… y-you… you… _this is embarrassing!_" She squeaked, squishing her cheeks.

Ichigo shrugged, "I like them."

Orihime looked up to him, wide eyed. "Ehhh?"

"You don't like them?"

"I…"

"Alright."

The auburn-haired girl grabbed his sleeve, looking up to him, hopelessly red. "I l-like t-them! B-but —"

Ichigo shrugged again, "I'll keep these." Hearing the disbelieving gasp from his girlfriend, he lifted the pictures before Orihime could snatch them from his fingers.

"Kurosaki-kun!" she extended her arms and pawed for the pictures but to no avail. Even on her tiptoes, her fingers barely touched his hand.

"Hey," he said in a low tone, Orihime looked up to his eyes. He was grinning crookedly, teasingly. "… wanna try it again?"

The girl froze, jaw hanging open. With a small smile – no malice, no teasing, just a plain, simple – and almost thoughtful smile, Ichigo leaned down to her, breathing into her heated face. Flushing, Orihime moved her head back a little, staring at him with wide eyes that filled her face. The small smile widened slowly, and she felt her face grew hotter as he leaned closer, their lips almost brushing.

…_ehhh?_

With a small yelp of panic, Orihime jumped back, stuttering, arms flailing beside her, and her face in a stunning blush. Ichigo straightened up to his full height with a small smug smirk, watching her blabber about yellow men, blue men, red men, green men and –

"…let's eat ICE CREAM WITH WASABI AND RADISH!"

"…"

Bystanders turned around to stare at the odd couple.

"Tch."

…

…

**33**

_they say he's got the weirdest devotion, 'cause he makes her fantasies real, and her reality a fantasy_

…

"Ne, did you have fun, Ichigo-kun?"

The orange-haired turned his head around, "Yeah, I did." He was rewarded with a beaming smile that was blindingly bright, blindingly real.

"I'm glad!" Orihime replied, and went back to watching the amusement park from the slope where they sat. "Me, too! I had lots of a fun! I'm glad we managed to spend a Saturday together."

Ichigo glanced at her.

"And we had so much food, too!"

"_You_ had so much food." He pointed out. Orange bangs brushed his forehead, toying with the breeze.

Orihime laughed freely, her cheeks rosier. "Ichigo-kun is right as always." She grinned cheekily, and then, she looked up to the sky thoughtfully. "I'm glad you came with me."

Ichigo grunted, running a hand over his hair. "Of course. You're clumsy. Someone has to look after you." This made her giggle.

"Thank you." Her small hand lifted off the grass and brushed the hairs above his ear faintly before touching his shoulder. Ichigo's frown deepened thoughtfully at her light touch, a tingle teasing his scalp. "Let's go. I'm sure your sisters are looking for you and your father must be worried." She continued, "after all, you are his _only_ son."

He raised a brow at her, and she giggled. Her chuckles wound down as Ichigo took her hand and tugged her closer to him. Brown eyes widened as her body easily moved forward. His other hand caught her shoulder pulled her closer to his body.

"_Kurosaki-kun_ —" She was cut off as he dropped her hand and grabbed her jaw. Her gaze flew higher to look into his hooded eyes. "Ichi –" His lips covered hers, and honey-colored eyes almost popped out in shock while her face erupted into rich red color. She made a noise under his mouth, but as his lips moved gently over her, slowly, as if he was afraid she was going to break and fade, she softened, relaxing. She started to lean forward to the kiss, letting him take what he wanted. Her lashes slowly dropped. Shyly, she opened her mouth and let him taste her. The kiss remained soft, slow… so, _so _teasingly… _slow._ But her heartbeat was racing, her pulse was quick, her hands were trembling. With a slight quiver, she kissed him back, and her hands clung to his sleeves. With his large hands, he cradled her head; long, rich red locks curled – and some were spilling – between his long fingers. He tilted her head back, leisurely deepening the kiss, sinking his tongue into her mouth that willingly accepted him.

"Kurosaki-kun…" she whispered against his damp lips, his teeth on her bottom lip. "I… I'm…" her eyes opened and glazed over as his thumbs rubbed her cheekbones while kissing her bottom lip. "I'm…"

Ichigo pressed his lips on hers before murmuring, his dark, half-lidded eyes catching the way his bangs mingle with her red-orange locks, "…what?"

Her hands moved up to his shoulders, her damp lips smiling, "I'm happy. I'm very happy with you."

Something filled his eyes, concealed quickly by his lashes and darkening of his brown irises. "You should be." He kissed her again, pushing her down to the grass. He settled between her legs, one arm cradling her head. Hungrily, but still gentle, he feasted on her mouth, tangling his tongue with hers, taking and giving. Orihime lifted a hand and combed his hair, moving her lips with his frantically. She tingled when she felt his hand dragged down to her thigh. At the feel of his calloused palm on her skin, her whole body flushed under him, but she gripped him closer, opening her mouth wider to him.

He gave. He took. He filled her.

And she fell harder, deeper…

Slowly, Ichigo pulled away from her lips, and under his mouth, she panted softly, her breath fanning his cheeks. His intense, dark brown eyes watched her impossibly long lashes lift, revealing her dark eyes. He itched for his phone, to capture her hooded, dazed gaze, so seductive in its irresistible innocence.

When she smiled with those swollen lips, he itched to smile back. His hand gently, tentatively stroked her thigh, and he was glad he let her wear a skirt.

"I liked that look." He said in low, scratchy voice. Orihime offered a confused look. His smile widened a little, his hand moving higher. She flushed darker, realizing what they were doing and their position, the girl began to stammer incoherently.

"K-K-K-Kurosaki-k-kun…"

He cut off her stammering with another kiss, and she squeezed her eyes shut in mortification.

"Mmm…"

He filed her mouth and she flushed so hard at the intimacy and hunger of his kiss. Desire rising, she gripped his shirt tighter.

"I… Ichi… Ichigo…"

His eyes narrowed, darkening, _flashing_. "The way you said my name…"

"Hmm?"

The hand on her thigh lifted to cup her face, his thumb caressing her cheekbone. Orihime could not see and read his eyes. "Ichigo-kun…? What is it?"

"Nothing."

She smiled at him in understanding, and her eyelids drifted shut, her face relaxing.

"Hey. Don't tell me you're falling asleep."

"Sorry," she murmured, nuzzling her nose against his cheek.

"Are you tired?"

"Hmm…"

He scowled, sinking his fingers through her hair. "I'm not surprised. You ran, you jumped and you talked non-stop all day."

"S-Sorry," she giggled, hugging an arm around his neck.

"Don't apologize." Ichigo growled softly. "Come on." He rolled off her, scooping her up by her shoulders. "Do you want me to carry you?"

Her cheeks flooded with color. "Y-You don't have to!" She said with a smile. "I'm fine and I'm heavy, remember?" He looked confused for a moment, and she grinned. "I'm going to be fine on my feet."

"Alright," he helped her to her feet, smoothing down her skirt behind her. She smiled, grateful at his thoughtfulness, and started to walk forward. But a sudden weakness invaded her legs, and she stumbled forward. Ichigo broke her fall by grabbing the back of her shirt and later, wrapping an arm around her, under her breasts. With a frown, he held her against his hard chest. Orihime flushed in embarrassment, hands on his arm around her.

"On the second thought," he growled behind her ear. "I think I'll carry you."

Orihime turned her head around to look at him. "But –"

"Don't argue." He said sharply, pulling her closer, making her blush harder.

"Kurosaki-kun…" He glared at her and she giggled, "_Ichigo-_kun."

He released her and positioned himself in front of her, crouching. "Get on. And don't pretend you don't like being carried by me."

"…W-well, I do." Orihime pouted, "b-but… not very m-much!" Seeing her expression over his shoulder, Ichigo felt himself smile a little.

"Come on."

"…alright," Orihime conceded, wrapping her thin arms around his neck. He hooked his arms under her knees and easily, he lifted her up. His eyes lingered on her exposed thigh.

"Wow."

Ichigo cleared his throat and pulled his gaze away from her skin. "Yeah?"

"You really are strong… Can we go window shopping first?"

"Just sleep, Hime." He grunted.

Her arms tightened around him. "You won't mind?" she whispered.

"I won't. Go on."

He felt her move her head closer to his neck. "I love you, Ichigo."

His brows snapped together. And then, his frown softened slowly, eyes sobering behind his lashes. He turned his head to where her head lay. Orihime was already asleep, lips slightly parted as she breathed. His blazing eyes narrowed, leaning closer to her slumbering face.

"I won't let you go."

.

.

.

* * *

**chapter. **she chases after rainbows, unfaltering**  
disclaimer. **applied  
**prompt/s. **skin**  
warning.** if you're diabetic… beware :))**  
note.** thank you for clicking :)) and reading! If you have time, leave a feedback XD


	7. he steals a moment that will last

**34**

_you would not believe your eyes_

…

…

"IIIII~"

A vein popped out.

"-CHIIIIII~"

It pulsed.

"-GOOOOOOO~"

And later, it exploded.

…

…

**35**

_we are drawn from the weeds_

…

…

Ichigo continued to stomp on his father's back while Isshin sobbed overdramatically.

"Goddamnit! Your attacks are getting old! Stop trying to murder me in my sleep!" the boy hollered at every stomp, multiple veins throbbing in his temples and jaw.

Athletically, Isshin sprung back to his feet, knocking Ichigo back a few steps.

"It's practice, my dearest dear son! YOU MUST BE READY AT ALL TIMES! Life is full of surprises! Life is full of rainbows and butterflies! Life is full of –"

_Punch._

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, old man. Get the hell out before I throw you out of the window!"

Isshin sobbed. "Such violence towards your most favorite daddy! I am hurt!"

"Are you insane? You're my _only _dad, loser! Get out, _now!_"

_Slam._

Ichigo exhaled, still twitching.

_What a crazy start of the day._

Brown brows furrowed deeply, he glanced at his bedside clock which showed the time and _the _date.

_6:54:32_

He started to tug his white shirt off his torso.

_July 15._

Weird, he thought as he stripped. His father would usually greet him first thing in the morning, always competing with Yuzu on who would greet him first.

_But…_

Scowl deepening, he snorted, looking away from the clock pointedly, dismissing his uncharacteristic disappointment.

…

…

**36**

_even the wrong words seem to rhyme _

…

…

"Ohayo, Oniichan!"

"Yo, Ichi-nii."

He nodded as a greeting, slightly expectant. However, the twins continued in their respective businesses, chatting nonchalantly. Again, Ichigo brushed off his nagging disappointment, focusing on starting his breakfast. As usual, their father came flying into the dining room with a loud battle cry, landing on the floor on his feet (which was an odd surprise). Ichigo ignored him, picking up his chopsticks to start his breakfast.

"Today…"

Ichigo stiffened, eyes slightly wide. _He…_

"…is a special day!"

His sisters looked up curiously while he looked around to stare at his dad.

"It is, Daddy?" asked Yuzu earnestly.

Ichigo wanted to sweat-drop.

"Yup, dear daughter of mine!" Isshin nodded enthusiastically.

Karin wore a deadpanned expression. "Pfft."

"Today is…"

Ichigo prepared himself for some idiotic birthday greeting.

"…National Care Bear Day!"

He fell over in shock, his chair tipping backwards with a loud crash.

"ONIICHAN!"

…

…

**37**

_and they all say to pour it has to rain _

…

…

Irate, Ichigo tugged at the collar of his polo.

_Damn it… that fucking hurt! I can't believe I was caught off guard with such stupid announcement._

Rubbing the top of his spiky orange head, Ichigo stomped up to the second floor, his bag slung over his shoulder. Again, _as usual_, as soon as he stepped inside the classroom, another human missile hurled itself towards him.

"IIIII~"

A vein popped out.

"-CHIIIIII~"

It pulsed.

"GOOOOOOO~"

And later, it exploded.

…

…

**38**

_I started smiling_

…

…

Thud.

"Arghh…"

"Sup, Kiego." Ichigo drawled dryly, scowling as he walked past the writhing figure of his classmate on the floor.

A long sheet of auburn flew about as soon as his voice was heard. Large eyes brightened up, a smile spreading over delicate features.

"Ohayo, Kurosaki-kun!"

…

…

**39**

'_cause you were smiling_

…

…

"Aa. Morning, Orihime."

…

…

**40**

_you're only inches away and I think you're really pretty, yes you are_

…

…

She smiled up at him, her large eyes filing her face. Ichigo arched a brow at her; she blinked, confused.

"Well…" he began, slightly tense. "… Aren't you going to say something?"

Large brown eyes blinked. Orihime furrowed her brows in contemplation, poking her chin with her index finger as she puckered her lips. After a few seconds, her face brightened in understanding. "Ah!"

Ichigo smiled a little, pleased.

"We have an assignment in Math. Did you finish yours?"

The orange-haired boy gaped at her. Orihime's eyes widened at his shocked expression, her small hands reaching up to him in worry. "Oh no! You didn't, did you?"

Ichigo had to swallow first before shaking his head in negative. "No… I mean, I finished it."

"Eh? Then… what is it that I'm supposed to say?"

_What the hell?_ Ichigo could not help it but…_ Even the woman who tells me she loves me everyday forgets?_

But like before, he _forcefully _dismissed the uncomfortable tight feeling that squeezed his lungs. The corner of his mouth lifted as he patted the top of her head. "Nothing important, Orihime."

"But…"

He looked away from large eyes as he slipped his hands inside his pants, looking over the windows.

"It's nothing important."

"Ichigo-kun…"

He kept his gaze averted, disgruntled at the fact that he was a little –no, it wasn't _so _little_–_ _depressed _at his birthday being forgotten by his family and girlfriend. His family's apparent disregard to his birthday was okay – although, he was still aggravated that his father thought it was a stupid National Care Bear Day (which he knew was something his father came up with), but Orihime… well, that kind of stung.

…

_Fine, it stung._ He grumbled mentally. _It fucking stung._ After all, it was his first birthday with her being his girlfriend. But looking back at her face, creased in a worried expression, with a curl of auburn hair brushing her right cheek, he realized he was being a brat.

_Damn. I'm such a selfish bastard._

With a small teasing grin, he pulled out one hand from his pocket and pinched her cheek between his thumb and index finger.

"What's with that face?" He asked, "I told you, it's nothing. Wipe that look off your face." She was beautiful with huge, worried eyes, but she was _more _beautiful when she smiled her big, silly smiles.

And when she did smile a big, silly smile, Ichigo smirked, eyes softening slightly behind his scowl.

The bell rang and students began to flood in as sounds of chairs moving filled the room.

"Later," Ichigo said over his shoulder as he turned back to his seat.

"Hai."

_It's okay._

He didn't mind at all. He never particularly cared about her poor memory. He watched her walk back to her seat, glanced away and exhaled.

…

…

**41**

_i just wanna be where you are tonight_

…

…

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. As one entity, the class jumped to their feet, stretching their limbs and immediately chatting with friends about plans for the weekend. One of those who quickly jumped up was Orihime, talking frantically to Tatsuki. The other girl rolled her eyes but nodded; looking bored but was still grinning. Orihime beamed, nodding enthusiastically.

"Oi, Orihime. Are you – hey! Where are you going?" Ichigo called out after the girl who only briefly looked up to him, smiled and made a quick dash towards the door. Orihime looked over her shoulder and smiled brightly.

"I have Handicrafts Club meeting." She answered.

Ichigo nodded, slinging his bookbag over his shoulder as he approached the auburn-haired girl. "Alright. I'll wait for you."

He had decided that even though she forgot what day it was, he'd like to spend an afternoon with her. Maybe eat some crepes or sweet potatoes, walk together, and talk about anything. He'll make this day special for his own gratification, regardless of her unintentional disregard to his birthday. It didn't matter anymore; he'd keep his mouth shut about his birthday and spend the rest of the day with her like he normally did.

Orihime shook her head. "You don't have to! You go ahead. I'll be fine."

Instantly, a dark frown crumpled Ichigo's face. "Hell no. I can wait."

"After Handicrafts, I have to talk to Ochi-sensei."

"I can _still _wait."

Small hands flailed in front of him. "And after that, I –"

Ichigo exhaled and ran a hand over his spiky, bright hair, bowing his head to hide his aggravation, more importantly, his disappointment. "Fine." He grunted, fighting off the feeling of immense frustration and apprehension. Broad shoulders slumped forward in defeat, but he pulled himself up to his full height after a few heartbeats and lifted his lashes. Another sigh echoed from his lips upon seeing Orihime's worried face.

"Sorry, Hime." He reached forward and took her hand, squeezing it firmly. Her hand was so small that it disappeared inside his grip. "Alright. Just be careful."

"I'm sorry…"

He forced a small smile, his eyes softening behind his scowl. "Don't apologize. I…" He frowned and shook his head. "Be careful."

The girl beamed up at him, nodding. "I will." She bit her lip and glanced around anxiously. Their classmates were still inside. Ruefully, she smiled up at him again; Ichigo shook his head and nodded.

"Look where you're going, alright?"

Orihime giggled. "You worry too much."

"Of course I do. You're one clumsy woman."

She pouted; he smirked.

"See you tomorrow!"

"Yeah."

The girl tentatively turned away, biting her lip, looking back at him with an odd look in her big eyes. In side view, looking back at him over her shoulder with her eyes that looked too big in her face, Orihime looked like a lost child. She looked frailer, prettier. Her periwinkle hairclips glittered. The thick waves around her thin shoulders drowned her pale face. With an intense, unreadable frown, Ichigo watched her under his lashes. He wanted to run his fingers through the thick waves of red-orange and feel her scalp under his fingers.

With a sigh and indulgent smirk, Ichigo gestured her to go. Orihime nodded before leaving, smiling vaguely. Half-heartedly, he watched her leave, and he found it odd to watch her small back, with him stationary behind her, not moving to follow her. Usually, when they were together, they'd walk side by side, or more often, he'd insist to her to walk in front of him to keep an eye on her. But today… it was odd. It was almost _sad… _it was…

_Damn it._

He pushed another hand through his hair. "Way to go…" he exhaled, frowning heavily. Shoulders slumped, eyes downcast, he started to walk home, feeling strange, feeling…

Alone.

He cursed at his realization and kicked a pebble which hit a wall.

_I depended too much in Orihime's presence beside me, _he glanced at the empty space beside him from the corner of his eye – _and in front of me – _his gaze went back ahead of him. Without her babbling presence, the silence surrounding him was oppressive, almost cold, and_ cruel_.

_Did I really rely on her presence too much? Her voice, the noise she creates? _

He never knew he had depended this _much _on Orihime's presence. Sensing her reiatsu was not enough. He wanted a tangible presence; he wanted something he can see. He wanted something he can hold onto, something he can grasp in his hands. Maybe, that was why when he held her hands, her hair, her arms, her body, he held her with such strength, with strength that rivaled the way he hold Zangetsu during battles.

Ichigo grunted, annoyed. "What a day." He groused as he arrived, reaching down to turn the knob of the front door. "Huh?" a neon-yellow sticky note was on the door.

_Oh my dearest son,_

-heart, heart-

_We have decided to walk in the park and enjoy the suuuuuun! Today is such a special day to enjoy the sun and smell the roses!_

"…the hell!" Ichigo growled, a tic convulsing in his temple. "This is getting annoying!" He crumpled the note, threw it aside and reached down to turn the knob, which rotated easily. Brown eyes bugged. "HUH? What the fuck! They left the house without even locking the front door? Those idiots!" He pushed the door opened with unnecessarily force. The wooden door slammed onto the wall. Cursing under his breath, he reached up for the light switch to turn the lights on.

"Those –"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY IDIOT!"

…

…

**42**

_but we shared a moment that will last till the end_

…

…

Ichigo gaped at the sight inside their house's living room which was overflowing with gleeful people, colorful streamers and party hats.

"…the hell."

"Way to go to thank us, idiot."

He stared at the two figures standing nearer to him.

"Renji? Rukia? What the hell are you doing –"

_Slap. Kick._

"Ow! Damn it! What the hell was that for, you –" yelled Ichigo, clutching his face.

Rukia grinned impishly. "Happy birthday, stupid."

"Hmph."

Renji and Rukia smirked.

"IIIIICHIIIIIGOOOOO! HAPPPPPPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAY!"

"Shut it, Kiego! You sound like my dad –"

"IIIIICHIIIIIGOOOOO! HAPPPPPPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAY!"

"Crap! Stop it, old man!"

Two bodies crashed to the floor as the target wisely sidestepped. Ichigo lifted his gaze and looked around. The people crowding the living room consisted of his closest friends from school, even Ishida who hated him with _passion _was standing behind Tatsuki, his sisters who were grinning at him knowingly, Rukia and Renji from Soul Society and…

His smiling supernova.

He greedily grasped at her comforting reiatsu, but it was not enough.

He needed to touch her.

"Orihime."

…

…

**43 **

_she's not like the other girls, she lives in the clouds,_

…

…

Amidst the noise, the laughter and the talk, he heard her voice. The voice that can melt the glaciers.

"Happy Birthday, Ichigo."

He was holding her hand, and she was smiling up at him, and he was frowning down at her, and she was trying not to grin, and he was quiet, and she was laughing.

He didn't know what to say, and even if there was _something _he wanted to say, he can't.

But she understood. She always did.

Her smile was burning him.

And greedily, he drank in the sight of her smiling face.

Orihime was saying something, Ichigo listened, but his arms were moving and suddenly, she was inside his strong arms, and he was clutching the back of her head, and she was blushing, squeaking and stammering, and he tightened his hold that she winced, but she didn't complain and instead, she clung to him, because like Ichigo, she relied on his presence, she relied on his scent, and around them, the noise muted, the colors became pale, but not dull; it was warm but not hot, the world spun, their friends talk, their breaths were synchronized, his heartbeat slowed, her smile was widening, and there was something he wanted to say, but –

"I—"

"Oh look! Renji-kun's eating your cake!"

Ichigo sighed and let her go.

…

…

**44**

_i look up you're standing next to me what a feeling_

…

…

They gathered around the couch. Ichigo was sitting on the couch, Orihime beside him, facing him, her head resting on the backrest of the sofa. Rukia was on the floor, chewing on a Pocky, Renji was standing behind her, his legs acting as Rukia's backrest. Tatsuki stood against a wall. Chad quietly sat in a corner, examining Kon, Mizuiro thumbed over his cellular phone, while Ishida busied himself with an argument with Ichigo, Renji, and Kiego.

Renji paused in the middle of his speech, curiously looking down at Rukia who shifted, staring at the couch. At the same time, Ichigo started as something brushed at his shoulder before promptly dropping to his lap.

Tatsuki and Rukia raised their eyebrows.

Ichigo quietly regarded Orihime who was asleep and whose head was on his lap, her very long hair spilling over his pants and to the floor.

"…Orihime?" Long tanned fingers sank into thick auburn locks, brushing the hair off Orihime's pale face.

When Rukia suddenly sprung to her small feet and tugged at Orihime's arm, surprising everyone, Ichigo became livid.

"Hey! Watch _what_ you're yanking!"

Rukia had blinked, looking confused. "Ah, she –"

"Let her arm go." Ichigo hissed, gritting his teeth, suppressing the urge to grab Orihime's arm from Rukia's grip. Everyone tensed up, watching the scene with bated breath and surprise. The petite shinigami frowned, biting her lip, softening her grip, and eventually, she let go.

Still, looking confused, Rukia replied, "It's just… I thought, she…" Ichigo raised a brow, moving Orihime's body in a more comfortable position.

"What?" snapped the substitute, scowling. He never liked it when people go rough with Orihime, friends or strangers.

Rukia exhaled, frowning heavily. "Never mind."

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Ichigo snorted. "Tch. Just don't go grabbing her like that!" He carefully moved Orihime's arms, tucking them under his hand. "You're not exactly a gentle midget."

"What did you say?"

"You _heard _me." Ichigo smirked, "_midget._" Before the dark-haired shinigami could hit Ichigo across the face, Renji wrapped an arm around Rukia's torso and lifted her off the ground and away from the couch. Her small feet flailed, as well as her small, but strong hands that wielded her pure-white sword.

Rukia was small, and she became smaller inside Renji's arms. Sometimes, Ichigo wondered where her loud voice came from. For someone so small, she was incredibly loud, incredibly strong.

"It's late." Mizuiro said, while Rukia remained flailing in the background.

"Yes. We better go." Ishida agreed.

"Yeah." Ichigo shifted around carefully, standing up and leaving Orihime on the couch. "Leave me the hell alone already." He said this with a smirk.

"How about Inoue-san?"

"I'm going to bring her back to her apartment." Ichigo replied with a shrug. Tatsuki was looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Oi, don't look at me like that. I'm not a pervert."

The martial artist snorted. "As if. You're probably scared of boobs."

A vein pulsed in his temple. Ichigo was tempted to snap that he had touched Orihime's legs _frequently_ and that they regularly kissed and touched but Ichigo valued their privacy obsessively. Growling, he stalked up to his bedroom to get a dark brown trench coat.

"Leave already, idiots."

…

…

**45**

_i feel you touched me in the pouring rain_

…

…

He carried her over his back. She was wearing his coat to protect her modesty. He carried her bag in his right hand, her shoes in the other. When they reached her apartment complex, it was already nine in the evening. With ease, one hand on her wrists keeping her anchored to his neck, he unlocked her door and carried her inside.

Ichigo was frowning slightly, watching Orihime on her bed. She was on her side, her hair all over her face and blankets. He lowered her shoes and bag on the floor, sat down beside her and ran his large hand over her hair. Under his touch, she curled closer to him, her hands tucked under her cheek. He smirked, and proceeded into taking off her socks. He had blushed furiously, his palm running over her smooth calves and small feet.

_Such… small toes._ He mused with a half-smile, brushing her toes with the tip of his calloused fingers.

He stayed beside her for a while, his hand on her hair, his half-lidded eyes fixed on her face. The frown on his face deepened, watching her face, every shift in her expressions, and the flutter of her lashes. The corner of his mouth twitched, watching her scrunch her nose and pout her lips, making sucking noises.

He poked her cheek, and she mumbled something, snuggling deeper into her blankets. He traced her cheekbone first before grabbing her chin and turning her face to kiss the girl's cheek. His lips lingered on her cheek, pressing closer. He pulled away for a millimeter away, watching her parted mouth. His eyes darkened and gently, he pushed her to her back and sealed his mouth over hers firmly.

The kiss lasted far longer than necessary. It was one-sided, but Ichigo didn't mind. He was just obtaining his birthday gift from her.

His thumb swiped over her damp bottom lip. "Good night, Hime."

"Mm…"

Ichigo smirked, rubbing her scalp with one hand, watching her fall deeper into sleep as she rolled back to her side, mumbling.

He made sure the windows were locked before leaving her apartment. Locking the door with a scowl, Ichigo checked the lock a couple of times before getting satisfied and leaving.

.

.

.

* * *

**chapter. **he steals a moment that will last till the end**  
disclaimer. **applied  
**prompt/s. **-**  
warning.** rushed? So sorry! :D**  
note.** thank you so much for clicking :)) and reading! kiss, kiss! thanks so much, guys! :DD


	8. she gets happily lost in space with him

**46**

…

She decided, the moment she woke up, that it was a good day, that it _will_ be a good day.

She'd make it good.

Summer was fast approaching, as well as the much awaited summer vacation. The temperature outside was warmer than usual. The rising sun was brighter. Sunrays were hotter. They filtered through the glass, refracted and bent in angles, piercing through the small gaps of the billowing curtains, lighting up the small, square room.

"Mmm…"

The clock on the bedside table read 8:24.

Without a noise, Orihime turned to her back, snored softly, her mouth slightly parted. A thin trail of drool trickled from the corner of her mouth down to her chin. She remained motionless, her breathing even. After several seconds, she rolled to her side, facing the wall and the thin sunrays hit her face, across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Her eyelashes twitched, nose wrinkled.

A slow, even exhale. A slow rise and fall of her chest.

Slowly, eyelids lifted, and at the same time, she rolled back into supine position, half-lidded eyes staring up to the ceiling dazedly.

"Hmm…" She lifted a small hand and rubbed her eye. "That's… weird…" she murmured sleepily. "Hmm… Kurosaki-kun…?" Still sleepy, she turned her head from left to right, looking for Ichigo's powerful presence. "Where… are you… Huh? This looks… familiar…" Orihime blinked, a frown wrinkling her forehead.

_This… is… _

She blinked a couple of times, stared, and looked around. Moments later, her eyes snapped wide as she sat up quickly.

"This is… My room! WAIT! How did I end up here?" Orihime looked around wildly. "How… My socks are gone! But…" She looked down to her herself. "I'm still wearing my school uniform… Oh no." Realization dawned into her. "I fell asleep while celebrating Kurosaki-kun's birthday!" Orihime exclaimed, clutching her hair. "Gyaaah! How embarrassing!" Clumsily, she scooted towards the edge and swung her legs off the bed. Her knees buckled as she forced herself to stand up. Orihime managed to break her fall by holding onto the bedside table.

"Hmm… what's wrong, my legs? Still sleeping?" After several leg curls, the auburn-haired girl quickly checked her living room and kitchen. The door was locked and there was nothing missing. She checked the kitchen. At the table, she found a paper. Curiously, Orihime walked closer. Recognizing the scrawl on the paper, she picked up the paper with a smile and read the note.

_Orihime,_

_Sorry. I had to take off your socks. Rest well._

_Ichigo._

She giggled. And then, she twitched and her face fell, shoulders slumping as she remembered. "…Eh, gomen ne, Ichigo-kun! I forgot to give you your gift!"

_Maybe… I can give it to him later. Is he at home…? I'll definitely give it to him. Although it's not that much… _

Grinning toothily, she raised a fist in the air and said, "Alright! I'll go and surprise him!"

…

**47**

…

"ORIHIME-CHAAAAN!"

"Erm… Ohayo, Kurosaki-san!"

"OHAYOOOOO, ORIHIME-CHAAAAAN! MY FIFTH DAUGHTER!"

"Shut it, old goat!"

"Ohayo, Karin-chan!"

"Osu. Ichi-nii's upstairs. Come up and bother him."

"Eh? I… I'll just come back later! Maybe he's still sleeping and—"

"Orihime."

"Huh? Ah, ohayo! So sorry for bothering you so early—"

"Don't apologize. I was planning to leave anyway and visit you."

"…really?"

"Yeah. Are you – the _fuck! _Old man! Don't you fucking dare to touch her!"

"Too late, Ichi-nii. He's hugged her already."

"Heh, heh. I WIN!"

"OLD MAN! DAMN IT!"

"It's alright, Ichigo-kun! I like your father—"

"DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!"

"Eh! Sorry!"

"Stay away from my girlfriend!"

"Oniichan, that's too violent! And oh, ohayo, Orihime-chan!"

"Ohayo, Yuzu-chan!"

"Are you going to stay her for lunch?"

"Um…"

"No. We're going out for lunch."

"We are?"

"Yeah. Come on."

"Um…"

"ORIHIME-CHAAAAAN!"

"Shut it, old goat!"

…

**50**

…

It would be an extremely hot summer, Orihime thought with a small smile. She was excited. It was the best time to eat frozen watermelons. She hoped Kurosaki-kun liked frozen watermelons. She loved watermelons, especially when frozen. The way the frozen fruit melt in her mouth, it was amazing. Like the rest of her body, her teeth were sturdy. She didn't have to worry about hurting her teeth.

"It was you who brought me home." She said.

Ichigo watched her carefully from the corner of his eye. Orihime was walking backwards. He opened his mouth to tell her to walk facing front, but later decided to let her walk the way she wanted, but he'd have to be vigilant. Just in case.

"Yeah. You fell asleep on my lap." Ichigo answered, his hands were inside the pockets of his ripped, tight jeans. He opted to wear a thinner and loose shirt. It was light green with graphic designs in front and at the back.

"EHH?" The girl lost her footing as she stepped on a rock. Vigilant as ever, Ichigo caught her arm and righted her. She gave him a grateful smile, he shrugged his shoulders. Ichigo reached sideward, cupped her shoulder and turned her around so that she was walking normally.

"…I fell asleep on _your _lap?" Orihime repeated, flushed, due to heat and embarrassment. Ichigo gave a faint half-smile, the corner of his mouth lifting. He nudged her forward with his arm to resume their walk. "How embarrassing." She groaned. "And you even carried me home?"

"Yeah."

"And I'm heavy!"

Ichigo chose to stay silent.

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun."

His scowl returned, a frown wrinkling his forehead. He took her hand and looked down to her.

"You still call me Kurosaki-kun."

"It's a habit! Have you ever heard about the saying 'habits die happy'?"

He arched a brow blankly. "I think it's "old habits die hard"."

"Oh." She dazzled him a smile. "That one."

…

**51**

…

They ended up eating in a small café. Orihime ordered something fit for two persons. She had apologized and said she hadn't eaten anything yet and she was hungry. Ichigo had told her she didn't have to explain and reminded her that she didn't ask for a plate of red bean paste or cheese or wasabi. She had blinked, he arched a brow and in turn, Orihime gave him a beaming smile.

"What is it?" asked Ichigo when they finished their lunch and walked outside.

"Hmm?"

He nodded at the paper bag she was carrying. At his question, her face flushed brightly and she clutched the paper bag closer to her chest. Ichigo raised a brow at her action.

"Orihime?"

She jumped and whipped a finger. "Look!"

Ichigo arched a brow. He remained looking at her, his brown eyes curious behind the thick bangs of orange hair. "You know I can't be tricked easily." He reminded her. Orihime pouted, averting her gaze.

"Orihime."

"Can we…" she began softly, her gaze still averted. "… um, I want to go home." She lifted her gaze to look up into his intense brown eyes. "But… I want you to go with me." Ichigo didn't reply, but his eyes darkened, and Orihime bit her lip, her grip on the package tightening.

Ichigo took one of her hands. "Alright," he replied, looking down into her eyes with lowered lashes. "Let's go."

Orihime smiled.

…

**52**

…

"So, what is it?" Ichigo watched her under his lashes. The windows of her apartment were opened, and quiet afternoon breeze floated in. He was sitting on her couch while Orihime sat on the floor across him. The sofa under him looked smaller now as he sat there. When it was Orihime sitting there, it looked like an average-sized couch. If it was Rukia perching there, it was bigger to look at.

He watched her lift her head, thick lashes lifting as she inhaled and exhaled. Tentatively, Orihime lowered the bag to the floor between them. Ichigo slowly leaned back, secretly enjoying the picture before him. She wore her hair in half-ponytail. The blue hairclips were on the right side of her head, keeping her long bangs off her face. Like him, she chose to wear light-colored clothes: a yellow, flowery sundress. It was loose around her torso, arms and legs, but the dress clung to her generous chest.

"Ichigo-kun,"

He blinked and lifted his gaze to her face.

"Ano… I'm sorry." She raised a hand to rub the back of her head, her eyes crinkling in half-moons as she smiled. "Last night, I forgot to give you your birthday present." She picked up the paper bag and from inside of it, took out something wrapped in – _huh? Maroon and … pink crepe paper? _Ichigo thought, raising his brows.

Orihime was flushing as she held it up to him. Ichigo leaned forward and took it from her hands. "Thanks… Orihime." The girl smiled up at him. She got up from the floor to sit beside him, her skirt riding up to her knees as she moved around to perch on the couch, her long legs folded under her.

Ichigo tore the crepe paper off. First thing he saw was black. He tore the rest of the wrapper and held out the gift in front of him. It was a black button-down polo shirt.

"I hope you like it." Orihime began nervously, still smiling. "It's not much, I know. I really wanted to make you a scarf for this winter but I ended up making a penguin! Then, I tried to knit a pair of socks but they shrank and I don't think you'd like a pair of maroon and violet socks and –"

"I like it."

Orihime stared, wide-eyed and flushed. "…you do?"

Ichigo smirked, turning his face to look at her. "Yeah."

The girl glowed in happiness. "Thank goodness! After so many knitting attempts, I decided to buy you a black shirt!" Her smile became dreamy, her eyes glazing over. "I… I really like it when you're in black…"

Ichigo lifted a bemused brow. "…in black, huh?"

Orihime nodded eagerly. "Yup! You looked…" her cheeks blushed brightly, her expression soft, her eyelashes lowered over her dreamy eyes. "…really good in black…" A small smirk slowly spread across Ichigo's face. Her dreamy smile widened and her gray eyes became hooded. Smirking, placing his hands on the arm rest behind her, Ichigo leaned down to her face, their hot breaths mingling.

"I thought…" He began in his low, scratchy voice. His eyes darkened heatedly as he felt Orihime shiver. "You like it better when I'm naked…"

Orihime twitched, now wide-eyed. "N-N-N-Naked…" she stuttered against his lips. Ichigo leaned closer while the girl moved back, heart racing at the increasing closeness between their bodies.

"Yeah…" Ichigo murmured thickly.

"B-B-B-But…" _I haven't seen you naked!_

It was difficult to breathe. It was difficult to think. When he was close. _This_… close. With his arms trapping her, caging her. Orihime's heart thudded even harder as her back hit the armrest, reminding her that there was no way out. Flushed and slightly shaking, she lifted her gaze to his dark eyes.

Orihime gulped.

Ichigo's lip curled.

"What's wrong… Orihime?"

She shivered, and he felt it.

"You're shaking."

"I'm n-n-not…" Her lashes lowered slowly as Ichigo moved closer, tilting his head to the side, their lips a scant millimeter apart.

His lips parted and his breath ghosted over her plump quivering lips. "Then stop picturing me naked."

Orihime stiffened.

"I'm not—"

He kissed her.

…

**53**

…

She moaned under his lips, her mouth parting. His tongue slipped in and he tasted her, making him groaned out his approval and satisfaction. A large hand held her face to tilt her head back, the kiss deepening in the process.

His knees as supports, Ichigo easily hunched over her frail figure, trapping her with his lean body, strong arms and firm lips. Orihime's fingers clutched at his shirt helplessly, head bent back and her hair spilling over the armrest of the sofa. Ichigo freed her lips only to allow her to gasp in his lips. Orange locks mingled with fine auburn bangs at their foreheads. Their eyes met briefly, his flashed and darkened, hers softened and smiled.

He bent down to kiss her again, taking her mouth and feasting on her sweetness and delicacy. He slanted his mouth over her kiss-bruised lips, their lips rolling against each other, tongues in mild tango. He placed one hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her down so that she was lying against the armrest, her head lolling back. With the same hand, he cradled the back of her head in his palm, providing support. Orihime moved about under him, freeing her legs under her, moved them so that they were cradling Ichigo's lean body between her thighs. As she lifted and moved her legs, her skirt fell around her pelvis, exposing her bare thighs. Orihime snaked an arm under his, placing a palm between his shoulder blades. She gave a slight push to pull him down and closer to her reclining body. Ichigo complied and their bodies touched, ignited and warmed upon contact.

Contact… was such a delicious thing.

Something they both craved from each other. They touched and kissed a lot of times. Most of the time, it was Ichigo who initiated the contact, which Orihime seemed not to mind. She accepted him wholly, responding with same fire. Though the number of times and the frequency of luscious contact between them had increased extensively, Ichigo had never tried to further their intimacy. He didn't want to scare her and most importantly, to make her feel obliged to provide him pleasure. He respected her immensely, but at the same time, he made sure he made her feel desired. After all, Orihime was truly one very desirable girl.

Ichigo drew away, Orihime's bottom lip between his teeth. She moaned softly and Ichigo let go of her swollen lip. He bent again to kiss her upper lip with gentle nips. Her plump lips clung to his upper lip, sucking it lightly. Ichigo scratched her scalp with his nails, while their lips exchanged light nipping kisses.

"You…" He said thickly, his voice a low scratching tone that scraped at her skin. Orihime's heart pounded hard and her hand on his back curled into fist, clutching the cloth of his shirt. Ichigo pressed closer, his other hand moving to clutch her face. His lower body sank between her thighs and upon contact, a shiver convulsed her spine, making her moan and close her eyes tightly. The couch creaked noiselessly under their combined weight.

"Ichi… Ichigo…" Orihime stutteringly whispered, her arms tightening around him. Her body reacted to his arousal. Her foot unconsciously traced the back of his leg, from the back of his knee down to his ankle. Ichigo growled at the innocently sensual act, consuming her lips wholly inside his mouth. Orihime trembled, and Ichigo angled her head to the side to fully dominate the kiss. The hand on her hair dragged down to cradle the middle of her back, lifting her up to press her closer to his body. In turn, she raised a slender leg and placed her foot between his thighs.

Things started to get out of control. Their bodies pounded, tingled, ignited.

They were burning.

Orihime fisted a few locks of orange hair in her fist.

They were burning each other.

Ichigo opened his mouth and took her lips inside his mouth.

Feelings spread.

Feelings burned.

…

**54**

…

She was burning feverishly under him.

Her skin was hot silk under his calloused palms. His coarse jeans rubbed hard against the soft, damp skin of her inner thighs.

How he wanted to touch her _there._

She'd be hot, wet and soft.

He was a hard mass of muscles and warmth above her.

His skin was hot and damp, all hard muscles and tight cords. She clutched at his orange hair tighter, the locks slightly damp with sweat.

Boldly, she thrust her tongue against his.

She melted.

…

**55**

…

A moan.

And a groan.

For a second, their lips parted. They breathed together. Their hearts raced together. Their bodies burned together.

Almost desperately, their lips met and clung to each other.

Burning.

…

**56**

…

Ichigo gently massaged her throat with the large palm of his hand. Eyes shut tightly, Orihime returned his kiss with shy fervor. Her fingers dug deeply into his thick, messy hair. Beads of sweat rolled down between them, inside their clothes.

It was scorching.

His tongue lavishly stroked her upper lip, she clutched his hair tightly.

The burn was spreading from his tongue down to his jeans. The sensation of her chest pressed up snugly against his hard muscles was not helping him douse the overflowing heat. When Orihime shifted her hips, Ichigo growled thickly, seizing her around the hips to lift her up to his hard body. The girl under him gave a long soft moan, her small foot slowly running up and down the back of his strong leg.

Ichigo, with difficulty, pulled away from the heated kiss. "Stop." He growled thickly.

Her eyes flew open, wide and flaring in suppressed heat. Orihime gulped first, panting raggedly. "S-Sorry…" The orange-haired breathed hotly against her tingling lips.

"Your foot… Damn."

Orihime blinked confusedly.

"Your foot… it's driving me fucking insane."

"…my… foot?"

"Yeah." He growled, his brown eyes dark. "On my leg."

"Oh…" She whispered breathlessly. She stopped moving her foot. "O-o-okay…" Orihime loosened her hold on his hair, mortified at her tight grip. "S-Sorry… I –"

"Don't apologize." He interrupted gruffly, pressing a firm kiss on her lips. His arms went around her warm body, hugging her close to his body as their lips rolled and rubbed against each others. Before she could open her mouth to respond to the kiss, he pulled away. Ichigo breathed deeply and kissed her forehead firmly. "Sorry." Slowly, he raised himself up by his arms and knees, hovering above her. Orihime stared up to him, breathless. Her cheeks were red; long caramel hair tousled; her swollen, damp lips were parted. "I…" He paused, clearing his throat as his gaze dropped to her bare thighs.

_Oh fuck._

His eye twitched. It was her legs he liked the most about her body.

"Ichigo…kun…"

He willed his eyes to stop looking at those magnificent legs.

But damn, he also liked her breasts… And her hips. And her back. Her small hands. And that hair. And her neck. Very delicious neck. Her eyes. Big, moist, innocent. And that mouth. Her tongue…

_Shit._

He grumbled a curse. "I'm sorry I lost control." Ichigo said tightly. His scowl deepened as he studied her red-cheeked face. "Damn… you bruised so easily." He added grumpily as he gently rubbed his thumb over her damp, bottom lip.

Orihime smiled under his thumb. "It's okay…" Ichigo looked deeply into her sincere eyes. Her smile brightened, and her hand on his back soothingly rubbed his tensed back muscles.

"Alright…" Without looking down, he smoothed down her skirt to cover her tempting legs. Orihime's smiled widened, albeit still blushing brightly.

"…you're so thoughtful, Ichigo-kun."

"What?" He frowned and raised a brow. "I don't get you. You call me Kurosaki-kun, sometimes you don't."

"Oh…" Slowly, Orihime sat up, hiding a wince at the cramping pain that slowly spread all over her back at her previous awkward position. Ichigo took her legs and swung them to the side so that she can sit up properly. His hands lingered on her knees, and they slowly ran up to her thighs before leaving her body. Orihime felt her skin tingled again, but she flashed him a bright smile. She opened her mouth to say something, but Ichigo's cell phone rang.

"Yeah?" answered Ichigo.

"Oi." It was Tatsuki. "You have my book for Civics. I'm coming over to get it."

"I'm not at home."

"Where are you then?"

"Orihime's."

"And what are you doing there?"

Ichigo stood. "We were _talking_," he replied with a wink at Orihime. His girlfriend turned bright red.

"Yeah, right." Tatsuki snorted.

"I'll be at my house in ten minutes."

…

**57**

…

"One more week and it is summer vacation!" Keigo exclaimed excitedly as the group gathered under a shade of tree. It was getting hotter as days passed and gathering at the rooftop was not wise.

"One more week and it would be all about the beach and bikini!" The boy swiftly turned to Orihime, who was innocently eating her lunch of pickles, bread and red bean paste, and kneeled in front of the blinking girl.

"Asano-kun?"

Beside the girl, Ichigo's eyebrow twitched.

"I can't wait to see beautiful Inoue-san in a bikini! I am sure you'll be – ARGGGH!"

"Idiot." Ichigo grumbled and sat down again grumpily after kicking the poor boy.

"Ichigooooo! How cruel! I am merely expressing my excitement over the summer and the prospect of seeing our goddess' bountiful –"

This time, it was Tatsuki who delivered a swift roundhouse kick. "SHUT UP, PERVERT!"

"Tch." Ichigo snorted, a vein throbbed in his forehead. "She's not _everybody's _goddess, idiot." Tatsuki gave him a dry glare. "What?!" The orange-haired teen scowled at the martial artist. "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not like Keigo, damn it!"

Tatsuki merely rolled her eyes.

Smiling, Orihime reached out a hand and patted Ichigo's forearm. He grunted and continued sipping his juice.

…

**58**

…

"…frozen watermelons?"

"Yes. Do you like them?"

"To be honest… I haven't tried one."

"Oh! Then, tomorrow we shall try frozen watermelons!"

"If that's what you want."

"I love frozen watermelons. They taste so good! And you'll especially like them because this year's summer is so hot… Don't you think so?"

"It is. Damn. My shirt's already wet with sweat."

"Mmm… You smell and look all sweaty, Kurosaki-kun."

"Gah. Cut me some slack."

"Well, I kinda like it."

"Like what?"

"When you smell all musky and sweaty and spicy and… "

"What am I? Food?"

"Yup! My favorite food!"

"…"

"…Oh. That sounds… wrong… So wrong."

"I told you. Stop picturing me naked."

"I can't!"

"…heh."

"…no! Oh no! I mean, I _am not _picturing you naked— Kurosaki-kun? Oh no! Please, _don't take off your shirt!_"

* * *

**chapter. **she asks, "did you get lost in space without me?"**  
disclaimer. **applied  
**prompt/s. **-**  
warning.** CAVITY INDUCING OHLALALALA. And many more. i am delusional while typing this SO FORGIVE ME D:**  
note.** thank you so much for clicking :)) and reading! kiss, kiss! thanks so much, guys! :DD and Happy New Year! May this year be filled with IchiHime pron – oh, did I type pron? I mean, IchiHime goodies and OHLALALA moments! :DD


	9. he says, “i’ll make it explode for you”

**59**

_you're dropping like a falling star,_

…

"So," Tatsuki began, glancing at Orihime. The karate champion frowned and with her fingertip, prodded Orihime awake. "Oi, wake up. I'm talking to you,"

The auburn-haired girl opened her eyes and lifted her head off the table but later dropped it again with a loud thud.

"You know what, I'm getting really, _really_ worried." Tatsuki studied her best friend carefully. Orihime blinked, shifted her head so that her cheek was resting on the wood, refocused her gaze and smiled at Tatsuki through the locks of caramel hair on her face. Well, at least, her smile hadn't changed, Tatsuki thought. Orihime was usually vibrant and bouncy, but for the past few months, the girl lacked her usual exuberance. She was still cheerful and all, however, she spent the half of the day looking dead, slumped against Ichigo, dozing in his shoulder, sometimes in his chest with his arm around her head, looking very tired. Tatsuki pretended that it was most likely because of the couple's _other _activities (and knowing Ichigo's stamina…) but she knew there was something more than meets the eye.

"Tatsuki-chan… Don't worry." Orihime lifted her head but kept her chin on the table. "It's just so hot. The heat makes me really tired…"

"Are you sure?" asked Tatsuki with uncertainly, to which, Orihime responded with a beaming smile.

"What is it again, Tatsuki-chan? You're asking me about…?"

"Do you and Ichigo have plans to go somewhere this weekend?"

Orihime scrunched her nose, "I don't know… We eat frozen watermelons most of the time." She grinned. Tatsuki snorted; she knew eating frozen watermelons was Ichigo's excuse to steal more alone time with the auburn-haired girl.

"Well, the gang wants to go to a festival before second semester starts," said Tatsuki.

"Oh… Sounds good~" Orihime finally was able to lift her head off the table, yawning widely before continuing. "I'll tell Kurosaki-kun."

"Good," Tatsuki got up from the floor. "You need to rest. Sleep the day off. You look tired." She said, responding to Orihime's questioning glance.

"Maybe I will. But Kurosaki-kun is going to arrive soon." Tatsuki could not help but smile a little as her best friend lit up at Ichigo's name. "We're doing our homework together!"

"Alright, but maybe a quick nap will do?"

Orihime nodded slowly. "Tatsuki-chan is right." She slowly got up. Tatsuki watched her cautiously in case she stumbled forward and hurt herself; Ichigo hated it when Orihime gets injured, either by accident or intentionally.

"Go to sleep. I'd walk myself out. I'll lock the door, okay?"

"Yup, thank you, Tatsuki-chan."

"Yeah, rest well, OK?"

…

**60**

_and I'm the one who wish for you,_

…

When Orihime woke up, it was already dark. Sleepily, she glanced at her bedside alarm clock. Seeing the time, her eyes widened instantly.

_Oh no! It's already seven in the… evening?_

Kurosaki-kun was supposed to arrive at four o clock this afternoon! Suddenly rejuvenated, Orihime sat up, rolled to her side, shot up from the bed and nearly tripped as she stumbled out of her room. She froze in the middle of the hallway, eyes wide as she sensed a familiar potent reiatsu near her. Quickly, she rushed to the kitchen.

She gasped.

"Hm?" A head turned. A pair of dark brown eyes scanned her from head to toe. Orihime felt herself flush under the intense scrutiny.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

The boy raised a hand. "Yo."

He was sitting on the floor, in front of her low table wherein stacks of notebooks and books were placed. He was wearing a thin and slightly loose white t-shirt and faded tight jeans.

Orihime approached him and kneeled beside the boy, facing him.

Ichigo raised a brow at her expression. He placed a hand at the back of her head, under the long heavy locks of auburn hair before leaning forward to kiss the corner of parted mouth. "Hey." He murmured against her warm cheek. He smirked, feeling the heat of her blush.

"Kurosaki-kun –"

He cut her off with a kiss. With his other hand, he palmed her cheek, fingers tracing her delicate jaw line. The kiss deepened, and her hands lifted to rest on his chest as Orihime kissed him back. He slanted his mouth over hers, stroking her mouth and sliding his tongue with hers.

Ichigo pulled away from her damp lips before it could progress into something more intimate.

"Ichi… Ichigo. You're here…" murmured Orihime, opening her eyes. Ichigo smirked.

"Yeah," he leaned back, dropping his hands. He gave her another discreet perusal and noted that she was being bold around him. She usually didn't wear that _less _around him but the heat must be unbearable. And hell no, he was not complaining. He liked seeing her in a white square-necked thin shirt and short shorts.

Ah, _legs_. She was all cleavage, hips and legs under the messy mop of hair. And more. So much more…

Orihime breathed deeply, trying to recollect her muddled thoughts. Ichigo was smirking at her knowingly and her cheeks flushed harder. "How did you get in?" she asked. Ichigo shrugged, turning back to his opened notebook.

"Tatsuki was here before. Before she could lock the door, I arrived." He glanced at her briefly. "At first, she refused to let me in." He shrugged. "Saying that I'd probably grope you while you sleep," Orihime let out an embarrassed 'eh!' at this. "But she gave up eventually."

"O-Oh…" She slumped. "You should have woken me up, though."

"Nah. It's cool. You need to rest." He looked at her from underneath his lashes, orange locks falling over his intense eyes. "It means you stored a lot of energy for tonight."

Orihime's jaw dropped. "K-KUROSAKI-KUN…?"

Ichigo arched a brow. "What?" She flushed deeply. The corner of his mouth turned up. "I see. What happened to innocent Orihime, huh?"

She flailed her hands in front of her. "I… I wasn't… oh!"

The boy chuckled deeply. He patted her head. "Just kidding, yo." Ichigo started to rise. "Don't bother to prepare dinner, Orihime."

"Oh," she tried to hide her disappointment. "Of course," she smiled up at him in understanding. "Your family is waiting for you after all."

The corner of his mouth curled. "I'm gonna grab some Chinese takeout or whatever you want." Orihime blinked. He shrugged. "What do you want to have?"

"Y-You… Oh." She rubbed the back of her head, giggling lightly. "I thought you're about to go home."

"Hell no. My crazy dad kept interrupting me in the middle of my homework. I figured if I stay here, I'd be able to finish all these stuffs." He gestured to the table. "And you can help me in Math. I fucking hate Math." He grumbled. Orihime giggled as she stood up as well.

"Alright," she beamed at him. "You can get me anything."

"You sure?"

"Yup."

"OK." He turned to exit the dining room, Orihime following him.

"Be careful." She reminded him. Ichigo looked at her over his shoulder, pausing in the middle of closing the front door.

He gave her a small grin; she smiled softly in return. "Don't worry."

…

**61**

_I want to clip your wings,_

…

"Ne, Ichigo-kun,"

"Yeah?" he didn't look up from his Math homework.

"Do you have any plans this weekend?"

He lifted his head, face curious.

"Why? Do you want to go somewhere?"

She beamed. "Tatsuki-chan said our friends wanted to go the festival this Saturday."

"It's our last weekend."

"Yes, it is."

He shrugged. "If you want to go, we'll go."

Her eyes rounded in excitement. "Really?" Ichigo shrugged again, going back to his assignment.

"But your Sunday, spend it with me." He said in a deadpanned sort of a voice without looking up. Orihime nodded happily.

"I can't wait to tell Tatsuki-chan!" the girl flashed him a beaming smile. "Thank you." He grunted, not looking up, his scowl deepening and the corner of his mouth twitching. Orihime, seeing the spasms on the half of his face and a visible vein throbbing over his temple, lowered her face to the table and peered into his face cautiously. "Ano… Kurosaki-kun…?"

At the sound of her meek voice, Ichigo looked, arching a brow, but nevertheless, wearing an annoyed face. "Yeah?"

She smiled gently. "What's wrong?"

The orange-haired blew out an irritated breath. "Math." He grumbled, his nostrils flaring. "I fucking hate math." Orihime giggled and straightened up. "Don't laugh." He grunted. "You know I hate numbers."

"I love Math." She said cheerfully. "It's the easiest!" Ichigo grunted again, tapping his pencil with increasing temper.

"Are you kidding me?"

The girl looked thoughtful. "Um, am I?" Ichigo sighed. Orihime eyed him sympathetically. "I can help you, Kurosaki-kun. What part do you find difficult?"

"How about everything?" he groused in a low, annoyed voice. She laughed and patted his shoulder.

"Alright…" she scooted closer to him, looking over at his opened notes, a small frown on her face. "Oh. This," she pointed at a particular set of calculation, "is where you got it wrong." She proceeded to explain it to him, slowly and patiently but hot-tempered already with the numbers, Ichigo only grunted and cursed the subject under his breath, his eyes straying and lingering to somewhere not proper but definitely more interesting areas.

"Kurosaki-kun," Ichigo blinked and lifted his intense gaze. Her tone was slightly sharp, "Are you listening?"

Ichigo decided to tease her. "Well, with you leaning to me, it's hard to concentrate." He said nonchalantly, shrugging a shoulder. She flushed delicately, pursing her lips. "But yeah, I'm listening," he amended quickly. She beamed at him sweetly.

"Okay! Just ask me if you want me to clarify some things, OK?"

He shrugged indifferently. "You're good with numbers, Orihime."

"Really?" she giggled. "I love Math and English but… I find English Literature difficult… But I enjoy it."

Ichigo arched a brow. "Lit is the easiest."

Orihime's eyes rounded. "No way!"

"It is,"

"It is difficult." She complained, reaching for her Lit notes. "Especially the assignment about Ne…"

"Neruda?" asked Ichigo with a raised brow, stifling a small leer.

"Yup!"

He smirked, eyes half-lidded. "Really, huh…"

"A-huh…"

"Well, I can help you." He offered, planting his elbow on the table, resting his cheek on his palm.

"But your Math assignment…"

"Gah. Give me a break, yeah?" He grumbled. "I'm having headaches. Plus," he smirked at her and Orihime eyed him warily, curious at the way he was looking at her. "I sort of like Neruda." Orihime's eyebrows lifted, catching a suspicious glint in those eyes but she chose to ignore it.

"But I thought you love Shakespeare…"

"Yeah. But Neruda's _fun_." His lips curled. "Want me to help you finish your Lit first before teaching me more about goddamned formulas?"

"Um… alright," She opened her notebook and a thin schoolbook about English poems. "This one, Kurosaki-kun. Can you explain this one for me?"

Upon seeing the poem, his smile widened much to Orihime's confusion. "This one's epic." He drawled. Orihime cocked her to the side, blinking at him owlishly.

"Epic?"

"I mean, easy. Really easy," replied Ichigo, tapping the page. "I already memorized some parts."

She looked thoroughly impressed. "Wow, you are amazing, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime smiled. "Thank goodness~ Right. I'm ready!" He smiled at her again, a weird but good-looking half-smile.

He started translating the poem, lashes lowered as he read the first verse.

"Every day you play with the light of the universe; subtle visitor, you arrive in the flower and the water. You are more than this white head that I hold tightly," his hand subtly moved up to the back of her head. "As a cluster of fruit, every day, between my hands."

He lifted his eyes from the page, catching her staring at him with a dazed look in her wide eyes, mouth slightly parted. He smirked to himself and proceeded while stroking her hair.

"You are like nobody since I love you,"

He saw her smile softly at this.

"Let me spread you out among yellow garlands," his voice dropped to a scratchy purr at the 'spread' word, his hand lowering to her nape, slowly kneading the muscles there under the heavy weight of auburn hair. "Who writes your name in letter of smoke among stars of the south? Oh let me remember you as you were before you existed."

She didn't notice but he was slowly inching closer to her, so close he can smell the faint scent of grapes of her shampoo and milk (and honey?) of her skin.

"Now, now too, little one," she continued to look innocently dazed, awed at his expertise. "You bring me honeysuckle," he met her gaze. "And even your breasts smell of it." Her whole face reddened. Ichigo smirked lazily. "While the sad wind goes slaughtering butterflies, I love you," she smiled at him softly, his hand tracing her spine. "And my happiness bites the plum of your mouth."

He saw her eyes drop to his mouth and he smiled secretly. He leaned closer to her and he felt her shiver but she didn't move away.

"My words rained over you, stroking you," he murmured against her cheek and she caught her breath. "A long time I have loved the sunned mother-of-pearl of your body." Her whole body shivered at this and he knew she was getting a pretty decent picture of what it meant. He kissed her neck, her jaw line and whispered in her ear, his deep voice caressing her skin. "I go so far to think that you own the universe."

He kissed her ear. "I will bring you happy flowers from the mountains, bluebells, dark hazels and rustic baskets of kisses."

She turned her head to face him fully, wide-eyed, dazed and moist lipped.

Their eyes met; hers wide, his heavy-lidded.

Ichigo smirked as he whispered thickly.

"I want to do with you want spring does with the cherry trees."

…

**62**

_and make you mine_

…

With that, he kissed her fully and deeply on the mouth.

…

**63**

_Make you stay here and not fly away_

…

He slanted his mouth over hers again and again, giving and taking until she slumped against him, her lips moving frantically with his. With a satisfied smirk, he pulled away from her enticing lips, her breathing heavy and damp.

"So," he arched his brow at her. "Do you understand the poem?"

He watched her gather her scattered wits and regularize her breathing. Her chest rose and fell, a thin sheet of sweat covering her skin. Her thick lashes lifted and she met his half-lidded gaze. Swallowing thickly and licking her lips, she nodded slowly.

"Y-yes…" she mumbled, heart pounding. "T-Thank you."

…

**64**

_back to heaven._

…

Ichigo's lips curled in a small crooked smile, reaching out to curl a lock of hair around his finger. Orihime's face flushed harder, eyes wide. His smile widened confidently, watching her clutch at her chest.

"What's wrong, Orihime?"

She flinched and opened her mouth to answer but words failed her. Ichigo stifled a grin.

"Hey,"

A shiver wracked her body, her lashes fluttering. "N-Nothing's… wrong…" she replied breathlessly, her hands trembling.

"Alright," he released her hair and grinned crookedly. "If you need more Lit help, don't hesitate to ask for _my_ help, yeah?_"_

"H-Hai…"

He stared at her for a while underneath his lashes and through his messy orange locks, making her blush even more. The corner of his lips curled slightly in a small smirk, his eyes bright, intense and smoldering. Her body was reacting under his stare, her heart racing a mile. Then, his eyes darkened and she was quite sure he'd reach out to her but he turned away from her and bent down to his forgotten schoolwork, muttering curses under his breath.

_Oh my heart. _

Orihime lamented gloomily as she dropped her chin to her chest.

_Be still!_

_._

_._

_._

_

* * *

_

**chapter. **he says, "I'll make it explode for you."**  
disclaimer. **applied  
**warning.** CAVITY INDUCING OHLALALALA. And many more. :)**  
note.** SWEET. thank you so much for clicking & reading! show some love, yeah? :)


	10. she weaves a fairytale and i am captured

**65**

.

.

Orihime cheered, throwing her hands in the air as fireworks lit up the sky. Ichigo kept scowling, fending off Keigo's attempts to be chummy with him.

"Gyaa~ it's so beautiful. It's like the big bang where the universe explodes into pieces!" Orihime said, clasping her hands together as she stared up to the sky with awe. Smiling, she turned to her boyfriend, "Kurosaki-kun—"

"You call you boyfriend by his surname?" interjected Tatsuki.

"I… sometimes! It's difficult to break a habit and—"

Ichigo's eyebrows lowered sardonically, interrupting Orihime. "Yeah, she does." This made Tatsuki laugh.

"What kind of girlfriend are you?" she teased. Tatsuki looked at Ichigo with a smug smirk. "Heh. And here I am thinking that you two have gone far in your ABCs."

Orihime blinked at her goofily grinning best friend innocently. "Ano, what are ABCs?"

Standing beside the auburn-haired girl, Ichigo reddened both in anger and embarrassment. "S-Shut up, Tatsuki! Don't talk trash in front of my girlfriend!" He yelled, pointing a finger at the black-haired martial artist. Tatsuki snorted and shrugged, turning to walk towards the center of the festival. It was the last day of their freedom. Second semester will start on Monday. The rest of them followed Tatsuki's lead; Orihime walked next Tatsuki while Ichigo stayed behind, exchanging verbal jabs with Ishida while Kiego made noises around them. The group was happily chatting in front of a takoyaki stand when Ishida's head perked up. The Quincy turned his head to look behind him. Ichigo and Sado copied him.

Ichigo's eyes widened first before narrowing in angry slits. "Shit."

Orihime lifted her gaze at the sound of Ichigo's voice. She followed his line of sight and her eyes widened. "K-Kurosaki-kun!" Ichigo quickly put a hand on her shoulder, looking down at her with his dark scowl.

"Don't worry. It's going to be alright." He assured her, looking into her wide eyes. Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo, curious at Orihime's sudden distress, looked around and being spiritually aware themselves, although not as strongly as the four ryoka, saw a wide slit tearing across the sky. It gaped open and several hollows stepped out, roaring.

"Shit…" Tatsuki cursed, immediately tensed. She looked at Orihime; her best friend was also looking at her. "Orihime –"

"Stay with Tatsuki." Ichigo interjected.

Orihime's face fell. "But—"

"Keigo, Mizuiro, look after these two, alright? Don't slack off, got it?" Ichigo gave Orihime a squeeze on the shoulder and a small smile before turning to follow Sado and Ishida.

"Wait, Ku—"

Tatsuki grabbed Orihime's arm. "Orihime, come on!"

"Tatsuki-chan… I'm sorry, but…" Her wide eyes pleaded for her understanding.

"Inoue-san…" murmured Keigo, watching the two girls apprehensively while occasionally stealing glances at the horde of Hollows that slowly approached.

Tatsuki looked at her best friend worriedly before sighing and nodding stiffly. "Fine." Orihime smiled gratefully. Tatsuki grabbed Orihime's sleeve, halting the girl from running after Ichigo. "But be careful. I don't want Ichigo looking for me and have something to say to my face."

Orihime made a fist in front of her face. "Hai!" She looked at Mizuiro and Keigo. "Please, look after Tatsuki-chan. We'll be right back as soon as possible!" With that, the auburn-haired girl turned and ran after her three friends.

.

.

**66**

.

.

"_Kurosaki-kun_!"

The substitute shinigami halted from pressing his badge to his chest upon hearing the sound of her voice. "The hell…" Ichigo glanced over his shoulder. And there she was, running towards him, in her yellow and orange yukata. Several caramel locks curled around her face, her long hair in messy bun with several chopsticks to hold it in place.

"Orihime! What the… I told you to stay with Tatsuki!"

As soon as she reached him, she grasped at his sleeve. "I…Ichigo…"

Ichigo gripped her shoulder. "Orihime, stay with Tatsuki."

"No."

His amber eyes hardened. He told himself that no amount of puppy eyes or adorable pouts (even sultry looks) will influence his decision to keep her away from the battle. "It's dangerous! I don't want—"

"I know. But please, let me. I want to be there for you," Orihime whispered, gripping his sleeve tightly. "I want to be sure… that you're safe."

"You… You are going to give me a heart attack!" Ichigo hissed. The Hollows' roar reverberated around them, high and shrill. A burst of wind went past them and the sound of Ishida's arrows being released and piercing the air.

"Please." Orihime locked eyes with him – determined, bright and lovely that Ichigo could not help but curse bitterly under his breath and grab the back of her head. He kissed her hard, and Orihime gripped the front of his shirt with her other hand. "Damn it," he growled against her damp lips, cursing himself. Her lips curved in a smile, her eyes smiling, grateful.

But he wasn't comforted. He clenched his jaw and looked into her eyes. "Be careful."

"I will," promised Orihime.

Frowning heavily, eyes heavy-lidded, he released her head. In the process, his fingers accidentally pulled at her hair, and chopsticks fell from her hair. With a narrowed gaze, he watched her bright hair tumble all over her shoulders and around her lovely face. Her face lit up, eyes flashing as she yelled out.

"Sado-kun!" Orihime ran past him, "Santen Kesshun!" Ichigo cursed and used his badge, his shinigami form jumping out of his material body. A triangular shield formed with great speed between Sado and a Hollow attack.

"Yosh!"

Ichigo shook his head at his girlfriend's cheerful spirit, jumped up and slashed at the Hollow that attacked Sado. "Yo, Chad, watch my back!"

"Hai."

.

.

**67**

.

.

"Tsubaki!"

"Damn, about time, you woman!" the angry fairy roared and flew around, slicing a Hollow into halves. There were about six to seven Hollows; four of them were massive which required teamwork between the three males. Orihime bit her lip determinedly; a claw aimed at Ishida and without incantation, by the force of her will alone to protect, her golden shield formed itself between Ishida and the attack.

Lily, Baigon and Hinagiku whirled back to her hairpin; Tsubaki spun one more time to provide distraction for Ichigo. She stayed with a reasonable distance away from the three males, knowing her place was to shield and to heal.

"Chad!"

"Sado-kun!"

Yells from her friends perked her up. "Sado-kun!" Worried, she moved forward to aid Sado. In her worry, she failed to notice an approaching danger. A newly arrived Hollow appeared from a slit above her and landed in front of her, between her and her male friends.

"Orihime!" shouted Ichigo.

She raised her arms to her head as Baigon, Lily and Hinagiku materialized in front of her, repelling the attack. The attack wasn't particularly heavy but Orihime heard Lily squeak inside her head, Baigon grunt and Hinagiku yell as the shield broke into shards.

Orihime's eyes widened.

_What… Lily! Baigon! Hinagiku!_

'Orihime-sama!' Shun'o yelled.

'Shit!' Tsubaki, without a command, burst from her other hairpin and boomeranged forward, slicing the arm that threatened to pummel Orihime. The Hollow howled in pain and thrashed.

"ORIHIME!" It was Ichigo. Blinded with rage and worry, he bellowed, "Getsuga…"

Ishida's eyes widened. "Kurosaki! Stop!"

Sado grunted and forced himself to stand up, running towards Orihime who remained shocked. The girl was startled when she felt strong arms sweeping her off the ground and a weight bearing down on her as though shielding her.

"S-Sado-kun?" Sado originally planned to snatch Orihime in his arms and jump off, but his injury which hurt his right leg prohibited him into moving and jumping out of the way.

"Stop! Kurosaki!" yelled Ishida.

Ichigo did not hear him.

"…TENSHOU!"

_Sado-kun!_

'Orihime-sama—' Shun'o started but his tiny voice was drowned out by her command.

…_I reject!_

As soon as she willed her shield to form, Orihime felt a massive and heavy tiredness weighing her down. It felt as though her legs vanished under her. But the shield made by her fairies tightened and held its ground. Ishida, who was watching, noted the differences between the previous shield and the present shield: it was stronger, brighter, and larger that Getsuga Tenshou, after slicing and dissolving the hollow, simply bounced off of the barrier and dissolved.

"Orihime!" yelled Ichigo frantically, realizing his mistake.

"Sado-kun…" murmured Orihime blankly. Her eyesight was blurring.

"I'm fine," Sado grunted, letting her go and falling supine on the ground. Orihime crumpled on the ground with her legs under her. She looked up, blinked several times until her vision cleared and smiled reassuringly at Ichigo who held an anxious expression. _Shun'o…_

She vaguely heard Shun'o sigh.

A small dome appeared on top of Sado's wound.

Sensing Ichigo's distress, she reassured him. "I'm fine…"

"Damn it! It was fucking careless of me!" Ichigo shouted.

"Kurosaki, now's not the time!" Ishida yelled, stopping Ichigo from gripping Orihime into his arms. The couple exchanged glances; he was scowling in worry, while Orihime was smiling.

"I'm fine, Ichigo-kun! Please, stop the hollows." Ichigo snapped a curse and turned back to slash the new batch of hollows that arrived with renewed vigor, channeling his anger through Zangetsu and to the Hollows.

"Inoue…"

"It's OK, Sado-kun. Just… Shun'o?" _This is weird… My healing shield… why is it so… _Orihime blinked and the dome vanished. "Sado-kun, are you OK?"

"Yes. Thank you." Sado stood up and offered her his hand to help her up. Swallowing, she took his hand and let Sado pulled her up. Upright and against gravity, Orihime felt her tiredness acutely. Worst, she felt like she was falling asleep and that the ground felt like an ocean, unsteady, waving and she was sinking.

_What is wrong with me…?_

"Inoue." She looked up at the sound of Sado's voice. "Are you alright?" She blinked and looked down. Orihime flushed upon realizing how tightly she was holding onto his hand.

"I— I'm fine! Thank you!" She slowly let go of his hand, smiling widely. Sado was looking at her with a small frown.

"Inoue… Your reiatsu…"

Orihime stiffened. "I'm fine!" She interrupted. "Just…" She offered a small smile. "I'm fine… Thank you."

Sado kept quiet, but nodded eventually, joining Ichigo and Ishida. Orihime sighed deeply and tried to recollect her thoughts.

'Orihime-sama…'

_I'm fine. Just tired…_

Her legs were shaking.

'…Hai'

She lifted a hand to flip her heavy hair over her shoulder. Standing in the middle of the clearing, her posture awkward and her hair falling over her shoulders and onto her back, she watched her three friends fight the Hollows. Her eyesight was slowly becoming hazy again, her eyelids heavy. Her small hands curled into fists, her small teeth sinking into her bottom lip.

_Inhale._

_Exhale._

Orihime steadied herself. _Kurosaki-kun._ She smiled a little, hearing her boyfriend bellow curses while swinging Zangetsu around. Heaving another deep sigh while closing her eyes, she urged herself to stay awake. Her eyes fluttered open, just in time to see a tentacle ready to skewer a very distracted and hot-tempered Ichigo.

"Ichi… _Kurosaki-kun_!" Orihime cried out. "I re—"

…_! _

Her heart pounded, and it echoed loudly inside her head. This time, it was her upper limbs growing weak, heavy like lead.

'Orihime-sama—' It was Lily. 'Stop!'

_No._

'But—'

Her shoulders rounded, her body slumping.

"P-P-Please protect Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime croaked out, her will stronger than her voice. Three fairies shot forward like a thunderbolt and a golden triangle twirled around like a boomerang, placing itself in front of Ichigo.

With that, Orihime fell facedown on the ground, eyes dazed and half-lidded.

.

.

**68**

.

.

Ichigo's head whipped around, eyes wide.

_Orihime…_

His heart dropped.

_WHERE ARE YOU?_

_._

_._

**69**

.

.

"Ichigo—" Sado started, glancing at his suddenly immobile friend. He repelled an attack from a hollow with his Right Arm of the Giant.

"Orihime!" Ichigo shouted with raw alarm, his eyes wide and frantic. "Damn it!" The orange-haired viciously slashed at their current opponent.

"Kurosaki, what—"

"_Orihime!_"

Both Ishida and Sado froze in realization.

Orihime's reiatsu was gone.

.

.

**70**

.

.

Ishida tried to regain a semblance of calmness. "Kurosaki, calm yourself!"

"Bullshit!" Ichigo roared, "_Bankai_!"

"Ichigo!"

His immense spiritual pressure, powered by his distress and worry, thickened ominously and by its raw heavy pressure, managed to dissolve at least three average Hollows. Ishida gritted his teeth, arms raised to shield his face and eyes. Receiving Kurosaki's reiatsu at this distance was not advisable. It was scorching. He tried to sense Inoue's presence. With Ichigo's spiritual pressure saturating the area, it was difficult.

"Kurosaki!" yelled Ishida. "Stop this instant!"

.

.

**71**

_._

_._

_Ichigo…kun…?_

_This scent…_

_Ichigo…_

_I… I…_

_._

_._

**72**

.

.

Honey-brown eyes opened.

'Orihime-sama!'

_Shun'o… What's wrong with me? I feel… I feel so… Tired, sleepy… I… I…_

'Stay awake, Orihime-sama!'

_But… I… I want to—_

"ORIHIME!"

Her whole body jerked. She blinked a couple of time, her eyesight clearing a little bit. With immense effort, she lifted her upper body off the ground. Squinting, Orihime was able to see a shape, but it was unrecognizable.

"K…Kurosaki-kun, I'm…"

_This scent…_

"ORIHIME!"

She felt large hands gripping her shoulders, lifting and turning her body. And then, arms wrapped themselves around her slack body, pressing her against something hard and strong.

"Orihime, damn it! What's wrong?"

"Ku-Kurosaki-kun…" Her voice was _too _soft that it frightened Ichigo.

"Damn it to hell… I told you to stay with Tatsuki! I… _goddamn it._" Orihime smiled a little, eyes heavy lidded as Ichigo hugged her closer, almost crushing her to his body.

_This scent…_

"I'm fine…_Ichigo…_"

"Fine, my ass! Your reiatsu— it's almost gone!"

"My…" Her lashes dropped to her cheeks. Ichigo frowned deeply, watching her wan face.

"…Orihime?"

"…"

"…Shit. Orihime!"

"Kurosaki, calm yourself! Inoue-san is merely sleeping!"

"Shut up!" His amber eyes were flashing violently, his hair falling over his forehead as he looked up to Ishida. "You felt it, didn't you? Her reiatsu faded. _Completely!_" His tone was harsh and hysterical.

"I know. But—"

Ichigo was beside himself. "What?"

"Ichigo." Sado laid a hand on Ichigo's shoulders, an attempt to calm the substitute shinigami. "I found your body." Ichigo breathed out sharply, breathing heavily.

"Thanks," he muttered, looking down to the precious bundle in his arms.

"I think… We should go." Sado continued. Ichigo sighed, frowning heavily as he brushed Orihime's long hair with his fingers. Slowly, he felt her spiritual pressure rise. However, it was still significantly low.

"Yeah," he grunted, his gaze fixed on Orihime's pale face. "Sorry,"

Ishida's eyebrow arched, but understanding Kurosaki's cause of anger, he chose not to say anything. Instead, the Quincy sighed sharply. "Let's go." Sado held Orihime for a while as Ichigo went back to his body. Ishida told Ichigo to bring Inoue home while he and Sado stay behind to explain the situation to Tatsuki, Kiego and Mizuiro.

Ichigo was grateful, muttering a low 'thanks' before leaving the two.

Now, as Ichigo carried Orihime in his arms while walking home, he could not shake off the feeling of dread. Unconsciously, he pressed her closer to his body, long locks of hair falling over his arm. He relaxed a little when Orihime cuddled closer with a soft sigh, her small hand fisting on his shirt. Her reiatsu, although had returned, provided little comfort. Episodes of her disappearing reiatsu were fast becoming frequent, and this time, the period of her zero-reiatsu condition was longer.

It was _fucking _frustrating.

"Damn it…"

This feeling of helplessness and uncertainty… _Damn. Worrying makes me sick! All I gotta do is keep a more watchful eye on her. That's all._

Don't panic.

Orihime sighed and her warm breath tickled his neck.

Don't panic.

He stopped walking.

But that feeling, of her fading, flowing and… Ichigo tried to comfort himself by pulling her even tighter in his arms and against his chest. Feeling her breathe against his neck, somehow, comforted him.

.

.

.

* * *

**title. **she weaves a fairy tale and i am captured**  
summary. **fading, and flowing.**  
prompt. **/  
**note. **three or four chapters to go then this piece will conclude! review, yes, if you have time. comments are love. thank you thank you for your comments/reviews! heart, heart!**  
disclaimer. **disclaimed.**  
additional notes. **hmm, i read somewhere (cannot remember where) that in Japan ABC corresponds to 1st, 2nd and 3rd bases XD D means pregnancy, E means abortion. i am not entirely sure, though, so please do not quote me.


	11. he was too scared to let go

**73**

…

Orihime sighed deeply; her eyelids felt heavy, her limbs felt like rubber, lifeless. A frown wrinkled her forehead. With immense effort, she lifted her right hand – it was heavy – and palmed her forehead. With eyes closed, she rolled to her side and pushed herself up with one hand. She pursed her lips and opened her eyes blearily. It was hazy; it felt like she was seeing the world through a water-clogged glass.

_This is… _She lowered her hand from her face and touched the familiar blanket covering her legs. _What happened? I can't remember – _Her eyesight slowly cleared, at the same time, she recalled flashes of what happened.

Alarm made her cry out a trembling, "Kurosaki-kun!"

"Yeah?"

She blinked and turned to the voice. "Kuro— Ichigo?"

Ichigo was standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe. "Finally, you woke up. You sleep like a log."

"I… I…" She squinted, frowning confusedly. "What happened?"

He pushed himself off the doorframe and entered the room. "You fainted." Orihime stiffened; Ichigo was watching her carefully as he sat down on her bed, facing her. "How do you feel?"

"Tired," she answered promptly with a convincing smile. "I felt like I ran a mile while aliens chased me with water guns!"

Ichigo frowned, still watching her. Orihime's smile began to falter. Ichigo lifted a hand and rubbed the area between his eyes. "You know," he paused and looked at her meaningfully, "We should ask Urahara-san about your reiatsu."

"But I'm fine!" The girl chirped quickly. "I don't want to bother him. Maybe I'm straining myself? Maybe I lack practice in using my Rikka? When was the last time I summoned them? So many months ago…"

Ichigo looked at her closely, his eyes heavy-lidded behind his messy locks of hair that fell over his forehead. The frown deepened, but Ichigo sighed and conceded. "…fine." He grunted, scowling heavily. He never wanted to argue with Orihime; despite her gentle nature, she can be as stubborn as him.

The corner of her mouth pulled up in a small smile. "I'm sorry I made you worry."

"I _always_ worry." Ichigo concluded tersely.

She bit her lower lip and looked down to her lap. She stared absentmindedly at the lock of reddish caramel hair curling on top of her lap. "I…" She lifted her long lashes and found Ichigo staring at her. "I always seem to burden you, making you worry…"

His eyebrows snapped together, his hand grabbing hers. "Don't say that." He flipped her hair over her shoulder and cupped the side of her neck, a thumb under her chin. "You're not a burden to me or to any of our friends."

Orihime slowly smiled gratefully. Ichigo sighed heavily, his lips in a tight line.

"Listen, I know what you're capable of. You want to help," Ichigo paused, cleared his throat and averted his gaze for a moment before locking eyes with her again. "But sometimes, you go overboard."

Orihime opened her mouth, but he continued.

"You always put other people's safety before yours. And don't say it's not true. I saw you a couple of times disregarding your own safety to help others."

Thick, dark lashes lowered to hide her gray eyes.

Ichigo leaned closer. "Orihime," She lifted her eyelashes. "You're not mad, are you?"

"No! Of course not!" She shook her head. "I understand. I do, I really do!" Orihime gave a beaming smile. "Thank you. I will remember what you said." She promised, making a fist with her hand, nodding fervently.

Ichigo smirked lazily. "Good. You know I'm not good with words, right?" Orihime nodded in understanding. "Before I forget," he leaned closer and kissed her forehead.

"Eh?" Orihime blinked at him, confused.

"Happy birthday,"

"Ehhhh?"

"It's _your _birthday, Orihime." At this, the girl whipped her head around to look at her window; her jaw dropped. "And yeah, it is already a Sunday _morning. _You slept until morning."

Orihime looked at him, flushed as comprehension dawned on her face. "You stayed h-h-h-here?" she stuttered. Ichigo slowly smirked, clearly enjoying her discomfort.

"Yeah," he drawled. Orihime turned bright scarlet. "But sorry to disappoint you," he shrugged his shoulders, "I didn't take advantage of you."

"I-I'm not d-d-disappointed!" She said defensively, curling her hands into fists.

"Sure," Orihime squeaked when Ichigo put a hand on the back of her head and pulled her forward. "Whatever you say," He whispered and surprising her, he pressed his lips on hers. Orihime squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering softly under his lips. A hand touched her cheek, cupping her face as his tongue touched and traced her lips. Orihime shivered, a shock traveling her spine, making her weak and boneless. Mimicking his earlier action, she placed a hand on his nape and shyly opened her mouth for him. Ichigo took the invitation eagerly and slid his tongue inside. He tilted her head up – thick locks of hair curled around his long fingers, some spilled between the digits – to fully plunge his tongue inside her warm, wet mouth. She was unbelievably soft, warm and delicious, a taste he always craved for. Firmly, with fervent passion, he kissed her fully, alternately nibbling, sucking and licking her lips and tongue. The actions elicited moans and whimpers from his captive princess who kissed him back with the same ardor. Ichigo felt her hands grip and tug at his shirt, her body slumping against his as he continued to slant his mouth over hers again and again. His tongue muffled her moans and the sounds further incite him, making him press harder. Slowly, reluctantly, Ichigo broke the kiss, panting roughly. He smirked when he saw Orihime smile dreamily, her lips swollen, eyes closed and lashes pressed to her pink cheeks.

"That's…" She breathed softly, her chest lifting and falling at every breath. Her eyes fluttered open. "One of the best gifts I ever had for my birthday."

A grin flirtingly tugged at his lips. "I can you give _more_. Just ask."

She blinked obliviously, and then, her whole face flushed deep red as she flailed her arms. "I… I… Uwah~ K-K-Kurosaki-kun!"

…

**74**

…

"What are your plans for today, Orihime?" asked Ichigo after being pushed off of a flustered Orihime who stuttered she needed to change. He didn't tell her but he actually went home around six in the morning to wash up and change clothes before going back to her apartment.

"I want to celebrate my birthday with Doraemon," answered Orihime from her room.

In the living room, Ichigo's eyebrow jerked. "With _who?_" he demanded with disbelief. Surely, he had heard it wrong.

Orihime came bouncing from her room, wearing knee shorts and blue, loose t-shirt. "Kurosaki-kun, what's wrong with your sense of hearing?"

He let her 'Kurosaki-kun' slide. "Nothing's wrong with my ears. But there is something wrong with what you said,"

She sat down in front of him, long legs curled under her. "What's wrong with spending my birthday with Doraemon?"

"He's a _toy_."

"It's his birthday!"

Ichigo's frown deepened, neither impressed nor amused. "It's _your _birthday."

"Well, yes! Doraemon and I share the same birthday." The girl clapped enthusiastically. Ichigo sighed, used to her quirks. "But Kurosaki-kun – _Ichigo_," She corrected herself hastily. "Thank you so much for remembering my birthday." She smiled appreciatively, her heart swelling with emotions. "I'm so happy you remembered."

"I know I'm bad with remembering names and faces but I will never forget your birthday." He told her, his eyebrows furrowed. Orihime smiled even wider.

"Oh, now I understand! That's why you wanted to see me today to spend it with me, right?" Ichigo didn't miss the hopeful hint in her voice which Orihime tried to conceal. "But you know, you don't have to, it's Sunday. Sunday is family day." She flushed and hastened to elaborate when Ichigo raised his brows. "No! It's not that I don't want to see you! No, _no! _I love seeing you everyday but…" Her cheeks colored a vivid red under the weight of Ichigo's stare. "You are surely missed by your family. I'm sure your sisters are looking forward to spend the day with you."

"They don't mind me spending _more _time with you." He looked at her underneath his lashes. "They understand that you only have me and Tatsuki. Besides," he put his elbow onto the table and propped his chin on his palm. "Someone has to look after you and remind you to celebrate your birthday in a normal way."

Orihime pouted. "Mou~ normal way? What is that supposed to mean?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Who knows what you're gonna eat to celebrate it."

"Oh don't worry! All I do is visit Oniichan," she gestured at the small altar, "Maybe eat an ice cream, a donut and dorayaki! That's all. Ever since Oniichan died, I don't celebrate much."

_I don't celebrate much._

Ichigo gazed at her underneath his lashes. "Alright… Let's visit your brother together." _Although I'm sort of terrified… _Ichigo added as an afterthought, putting down his hand from his chin and remembering the first time he met Inoue Sora.

Orihime stared at him, wide-eyed. Ichigo saw her pinched expression; his brows twitched when Orihime's face screwed up. He reached forward to take her hand.

"S-sorry! I'm s-so e-emotional, aren't I?" she giggled while rubbing her eyes, her lower lip quivering. "I'm j-j-just…" He squeezed her hand. Lowering her hand, with traces of tears on her face, she beamed at him happily. "Thank you so much, Ichigo."

…

**76**

…

"Oniichan!"

Orihime sat down on her calves, staring up to her brother's tombstone. "I am officially 17 today!" She laughed and scratched the back of her head. "I'm a little sad that you're not here… but, Kurosaki-kun is here to the rescue! You remember Kurosaki-kun, right?" She giggled softly. "I'm sure you do."

Standing behind her, Ichigo shifted awkwardly. He was sure her brother will skewer him alive once he found out he was dating her precious little sister. Inoue Sora would probably throw an apoplectic fit once he found out that he was doing _things _to Orihime…

"I love you, Oniichan! Thank you for taking care of me and I know you're still watching over me. No worries, though!"

She smiled serenely.

"I'm happy, I'm safe and I'm not alone."

Ichigo looked down at her, catching her somber but smiling expression. "I'll visit you soon, Oniichan! Don't worry about me!" When she made a move to stand up, he took her elbow and helped her up.

"And don't get jealous." He muttered half-heartedly.

"Hmm?" Orihime turned to look at him curiously.

Realizing he had verbalized his thoughts, Ichigo elaborated. "I'm talking to your brother." He replied nonchalantly. Orihime giggled.

"Are you still worried that my Oniichan does not like you?"

Ichigo scratched his hair, frowning. "He'd probably kill me."

She gasped. "Oniichan would not even hurt a fly!"

He looked at her blankly. "Too bad for me, I'm not a fly but the guy who touches and kisses his sister at every chance."

She blushed, "I'm sure Oniichan will understand." Ichigo shrugged and took her hand.

"He'd kill me _first_ then he'd understand."

…

**77**

…

And the day went like this:

She took him to an ice cream store. Her first plan was to eat frozen watermelons but she forgot to buy watermelons the other day so she settled into eating ice cream instead. After that, she introduced him to a forty-something lady who managed a donut shop. Orihime told him that the kind (single) woman gave her free three donuts for her birthday every year. He watched her wolf down the sweets with gusto (and later, he had to thump her back as she coughed.) They walked in the park, watched the children play because she liked children and,

"I want to have a child of my own someday!"

"Well, I'll give you a child someday."

Orihime had stared at him, and Ichigo counted 1, 2, and 3 before Orihime's face went frighteningly scarlet, flailing and apologizing for embarrassing him. He had to pacify her with a kiss (but she pushed him away before he could do some tricks with his tongue.)

After which, he let her ran after red dragonflies. He remembered Tatsuki saying that Orihime got lost once while chasing dragonflies, so he kept an eye on her even though it made him dizzy after five minutes. Orihime was such a quick pretty thing, zooming from point A to point B that it felt like watching a tennis match. She only stopped when she tripped and Ichigo had to run and help her up. ("Jeez, aren't you tired?"

"No, not yet!"

"…How can you still move?"

"I have super stamina!"

"…I see."

"Yup!"

"That's good."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Definitely. Someday, it will come in handy."

"Great! I have to develop my stamina more!")

In the end, she didn't catch one, and he was not surprised. She didn't notice it, but while telling him a story about a legend her late brother used to tell her when she was young, she fell asleep and he let her.

…

**78**

…

"Thank you so much, Kurosaki-kun~ it was… fun and the food was delicious! I… you didn't have to take me to that fancy-looking restaurant but you did and thank you!"

Ichigo lifted a brow as he looked down to her face while they walked home. "How many times did you thank me already?"

Orihime giggled and pressed her cheek against his arm. "It was my first time to eat in an expensive-looking restaurant. It's so pretty inside."

"It felt nice to eat normal food, right?" Icigo smirked.

Orihime frowned at him contemplatively. "…I _always_ eat normal food so I think it's okay."

Ichigo leaned against the wall, waiting for Orihime to open her door. He went straight to her apartment's living room, sitting down on the floor while she went to the kitchen to prepare cups of tea.

"Ne, aren't you excited?" asked Orihime once she settled beside him. "Tomorrow's the start of new semester."

"Yeah. I _am _so excited. I'm going to see Keigo six times a week." Ichigo drawled sarcastically. Orihime laughed and took a sip from her tea.

"It's weird… I'm so used to seeing Kuchiki-san as our classmate."

"Do you miss her?"

Orihime smiled, "Yes…"

Ichigo shrugged, stretching his long legs, "Sorry, I didn't invite her or Tatsuki." He turned to her and found her looking at him. He smiled crookedly. "I want to spend this day alone with you."

She blushed but she seemed pleased, "It's alright. There's next year to spend it with our friends." Biting her lip, she shyly reached for his hand but Ichigo already reached and grasped hers in his hand. "I'm very happy…" Her heart raced as they moved closer to each other. Ichigo watched her face flood with color with a smirk flirtingly tugging at the corner of his mouth. Nevertheless, she moved forward to meet him, tilting her head to the side and her lashes lowered. Their lips touched and it was electric. They had kissed a lot of times; as a matter of fact, it was a pastime both of them enjoyed. However, both felt that every time they kissed, it felt like a first time. Every kiss and every touch was a new experience, a memory different from other kisses and touches.

Ichigo gently nibbled on her full, bottom lip, her cheek warm under his long fingers. With his other hand, he threaded his fingers through her long hair. The tips of his fingers massaged her scalp, causing Orihime to relax and slump against his hard chest. His fingers carefully cupped the base of her skull, her caramel hair parting and falling in thick strands over her back.

Ichigo shifted, pulling Orihime on top of his lap. As he shifted, an object in his front pocket hindered his movements. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss and frowned. Orihime opened her eyes and looked at him curiously.

"I almost forgot." Ichigo said, dropping his hand from her cheek to his jeans. "I have something for you."

"For me," repeated Orihime, wide-eyed. Ichigo nodded, weight shifted to the left and pushed a hand inside his pocket whilst maintaining a firm grip on Orihime's hips to support her weight on his thigh. His hand retracted and he was holding something rectangular in his hand. It was wrapped in white and pink paper wrapper.

"Here," he thrust it to her hands.

"A birthday gift?" murmured the girl reverently. Ichigo shrugged, replying with a quiet 'Open it.' Orihime carefully unwrapped the gift.

Her eyes widened in shock.

"A… A… C-cell phone!" She gasped, looking up to him, holding the object as if it was something made of gold.

"Yeah," answered Ichigo nonchalantly.

"B-But, you d-don't have to g-give me s-something like this!" Still, wide-eyed, she lifted the object between their faces. "This is expensive and… and I-I only gave you a shirt! This is too much… I… I cannot accept this—"

"Stop babbling."

Orihime flushed but bit her lower lip.

"Look, don't worry about it. It is something that I want to give to you."

"But—"

"And," Ichigo added, interrupting her, "I want to hear your voice whenever I want."

She stared at him, awestruck.

"Most importantly," Ichigo coughed, clearing his voice forcefully, blushing faintly, "To remind you to lock your door at night." Orihime blinked and began to giggle. With wide-eyed curiosity, she examined her black and red, slim flip phone. She never had a cell phone before. Its technology confused her a lot. Were cell phones really this shiny, thin and light? It looked… classy.

"I'll teach you tomorrow how to use it. It's pretty simple to use. Someone like you who cannot handle technology very well will be able to use that easily."

Orihime pouted, frowning a little. She knew how technology behind she was. For her, nuclear science, algebra and physics were easier to handle than cell phones.

"Ne, I have to memorize my number, right?" she asked, looking up to Ichigo.

"No." He deadpanned. "I already memorized it so there's no need for you to memorize it. If someone asks, tell them to ask _me_ instead." _And I'll kick their asses. _Ichigo grinned fiercely, eyes flashing. Orihime nodded and stared at her new flip phone.

"Ichigo…" Blushing shyly, Orihime lifted her gaze and smiled at him. "Thank you."

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "Sure."

Orihime curled a tiny hand into a fist, nodding determinedly, "I will treasure this forever."

"Right,"

Carefully, she clutched the phone with both hands. "I don't know how to repay you for your kindness and generosity…"

Ichigo's face suddenly hardened; a grim, solemn look appearing on his face. He was, all of a sudden, stricken with mental images of him watching her back as she walked away.

"Stay with me."

Orihime blinked, staring up to him as she felt his strong arms tighten around her slim frame.

Their eyes locked; dark ambers and wide honey eyes.

"Just stay with me." Ichigo whispered. "No matter what happens, stay with me."

The white column of her neck moved as she swallowed. Her eyes were wide and filled with unshed tears. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her free hand gripping at his shirt. Ichigo returned the embrace, a large hand on the back of her head.

"Yes, I-I promise."

He grunted. "Don't forget."

She giggled softly and pulled back, though her arms stayed around his neck. She smiled at him and boldly kissed him full on the lips. Ichigo gripped her hair and kissed her back. With his other hand, he plucked the cell phone from her hand and placed it on the low table. Orihime cupped his cheek and kissed him urgently, her cheeks flaming. Still with his hand on the back of her head, Ichigo turned his body and gently lowered Orihime on the floor, his knees between her long legs. Orihime traced his spine and slipped her hands under his shirt to feel his strong back muscles. They rippled and trembled under her small hands. He groaned and pressed his lips harder onto hers, flexing his fingers and clutching her hair in his hands. When Orihime's palms lowered to the waistline of his jeans, Ichigo pulled away from her swollen lips, sat up while Orihime's hands slid down to his thighs and took off his shirt.

Orihime stared openly, wide-eyed and with mouth slightly parted. Ichigo tossed the shirt to the side and placed his hands on either side of her head. Her eyes traced the strong thick muscles of his neck, his pectorals, thick corded muscles of his biceps and hard abdominals. While her eyes surveyed him, her hands followed. She smiled dreamily as she touched his pectorals. Ichigo held his breath, his hands curling into fists as he watched his girlfriend dreamily touched him.

Her eyes went back into looking up to his eyes. "You're beautiful…"

Ichigo's brows went up to his hairline. "You're kidding me, right? Do I look feminine to you?"

Orihime flushed and backpedalled quickly. "No, no! I mean you're… You're…"

"Whatever," Ichigo muttered against her lips before capturing them in another kiss. He slid a hand under her nape, tilting his head to the side to deepen the kiss. He took her hand and urged her to wrap her arms around his neck as he scooped her up in one arm. He sat up, bringing her with him. Orihime moved her legs and straddled his hips, her skirt gathering around her waist. She hugged his broad shoulders tighter, her cheeks flushed at their new position. His large hands seized and squeezed her exposed pale thighs; they went up and slipped under her shirt, moved up slowly and unclasped her bra.

Orihime breathed deeply, lashes fluttering as she whispered his name against his lips.

He smirked, his palms flat on her smooth back. They kissed again while he caressed her back gently, her skin was soft and under his palms, she felt so much frailer, smoother, in need of gentleness. His hands stroke her sides and taut stomach, flirtingly touching the undersides of her breasts. Ichigo wound down the kiss, feeling Orihime go slack against him.

"Orihime,"

"You're so warm…" Her voice was small and thick. Ichigo opened his eyes and stared at her underneath his lashes. He licked his lips.

"You're falling asleep."

Her eyes slowly opened. "Oh…" She grinned sheepishly. "It's just… You're so warm and it feels so good to be held by you." She leaned up and kissed him shyly. He retracted his hands from under her shirt and cupped her bottom.

"Come on." Ichigo locked her ankles behind him and without difficulty, he carried her with her legs around his hips towards her room. He lay her down on her bed, her legs sliding off his hips. His dark eyes watched her legs fall on the bed. Slowly, he looked up and into her eyes; she was staring up at him, wide-eyed, with a very curious and somewhat nervous look.

Ichigo smirked, tracing her swollen, red lips with the tip of his index finger. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Orihime blinked and flushed harder. "N-Nothing!" The orange-haired shrugged and left the room. The girl sighed deeply and sat up, quickly looking for a pair of sweatpants and new shirt. Meanwhile, Ichigo bent down to retrieve his discarded shirt, put it on while walking back to her room. He paused at the doorway, leaning on the doorframe and watching Orihime changed. Sensing his presence, Orihime looked over her shoulder. She bit her lower lip blushingly and continued changing self-consciously.

Once she was done, Ichigo kissed her temple and murmured, "I'll see you tomorrow." She looked up to him with a smile.

"Hai…"

"I'll call you." He said and proceeded into telling her what button to press to accept his call.

"I love you, Ichigo."

He looked at her and for a few seconds, silence wrapped around them, cradling them. He smiled slightly and kissed her mouth. "I know, Hime."

…

**79**

…

Second semester started.

Orihime's lethargy seemed to worsen as September rolled on and October drew near. She became late in her classes, unable to participate in PE, slept in classes and even in detention. Her reiatsu, although present, remained unusually low that it became difficult, even for Ishida, to feel it.

By October, she stopped eating lunch, opting to sleep with her head on her boyfriend's back instead of cheerfully talking to her friends and eating strange concoctions.

"Orihime,"

"Hmm,"

Ichigo scowled at her dull reply. "Are you sure you are alright? You didn't eat lunch again." The substitute shinigami asked one day (it was mid October) while they walked home.

She smiled at him. "I'm fine. Just really sleepy," she yawned; Ichigo steadied her by holding her shoulder as she swayed while yawning.

"Are you having sleeping problems, Orihime?" Ichigo asked again to which Orihime replied with a simple shake of her head. His scowl deepened. "You _always _sleep from homeroom to lunch, Orihime."

The girl stared off to the distance. "Maybe the aliens drugged me."

Abruptly, he came to a stop in front of a bakery, watching Orihime trudged down the sidewalk a few steps away from him before stopping as well. Her head perked up before she turned slowly to look at him quizzically.

"Ichigo…?"

He met her gaze with a narrowed stare. "You sleep rather than eat. You look sick. Your reiatsu's going crazy."

"…I-I'm—"

"Don't tell me you're fine. If this seems fine to you, then damn it, this is not _fine _to me!"

Her eyes widened, filling her face. Ichigo continued, his face was hard and grim.

"It's fucking scaring me."

The muscles of his jaw clenched as he looked straight into her wide eyes.

"_You're _fucking scaring me."

Orihime blinked, lips quivering, "I… I'm sorry, I—"

"Damn it." He stepper closer to her, grabbed her arm and pulled her into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her head, pressing her face to his jacket.

"Ichigo…"

"I know I'm such an overprotective asshole."

Orihime lifted a hand and clutched at the back of his uniform.

"I… It feels nice when you worry about me." She confided silently. "But to see you upset because I'm being weird, I don't like that." She started to rub his tensed back soothingly. "Please, don't worry about me. Did you forget?" Ichigo pressed his cheek on her temple. "I promised you. I promised that I'm going to stay with you."

He grunted an affirmative. Orihime giggled and lifted her other hand, her school bag looped around her arm, to hug him back. "I love you very, very much! More than red bean paste, dorayaki, sweet potatoes with cheese!"

"Tch. That's great. I ranked slightly higher than your favorite foods." He deadpanned as he pulled away from the embrace. Orihime grinned cheekily.

"Yup! Be proud, Kurosaki-kun~"

Ichigo sighed and took her school bag from her arm. "Fine. Let's go. Those programs you obsessed over are already on."

…

**80**

…

One week after that conversation, something happened.

…

**81**

…

Kiego remarked that it was amazing to see Orihime awake and joining them for lunch. Orihime smiled politely from Ichigo's right side and ate her lunch as per Ichigo's order. She was obviously struggling with her drowsiness for she frequently yawned. After finishing her lunch, she stood up ("To stretch," she answered Ichigo's questioning frown) and walked over to the waist high railings that surrounded the rooftop. She stared at the courtyard, counted how many students there were and looked up to the sky. She remembered her brother and smiled. At first, it was lonely being alone; she had missed her brother so much. And then, she realized that her brother was the sky. _Sora-niichan. _

He was always looking after her.

She began to frown, still gazing up to the clear, blue sky. She was frowning in confusion; her eyesight was blurry, her extremities felt heavy. Blindingly, she reached for the railing to steady herself.

"Orihime?"

Her knees buckled; she pitched forward.

"_Orihime!_"

Her eyes rolled at the back of her head and to her friends and boyfriend's horror, she began to tumble off the railing.

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* * *

**title. **he was too scared to let go**  
summary. **One week after that conversation, something happened.**  
prompt. **/  
**note. **i think… 2 chapters to go! wow. this is LONG. 4K words. i feel proud. cries. i have two fics to finish. have to finish my first baby!**  
disclaimer. **disclaimed.**  
additional notes. **comment if you have time, yes? :D thanks for clicking and reading!


	12. she sleeps, and she's beautiful

**82**

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"ORIHIME!"

"…!"

Sado reacted quickly, like a bolt of lightning. In great leaps, he was able to grab Inoue's arm. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly when he felt her arm jerk as though her shoulder will be dislocated out of its socket.

"Ichigo!"

He didn't have to call him, however. When Sado moved, Ichigo had moved as well. His arm, though, was not as long as Sado's. He had grabbed thin air. Ichigo reached down; _oh god, _his eyes widened: Orihime was hanging off the railing, one arm held up by Sado, legs swinging slightly, skirt swaying around her thighs and she _was unconscious. _Sado, with a quiet grunt, lifted Inoue up. Behind the two males, Ishida was holding Tatsuki back who was trembling in shock and fear. Ichigo reached forward and scooped Orihime in his arms.

"Orihime!" Ichigo fell on his knees, cradling Orihime's unconscious body in his arms. His hand automatically went down to her skirt to make sure it was covering her legs.

Ichigo shook her. "Orihime!" His voice was more frantic now. "Hey! Wake up!" Her head fell back lifelessly.

Behind him Tatsuki gasped; Uryuu's eyes widened while Sado stiffened.

The right half of Orihime's body became translucent. It was her right hand that had slowly vanished first, followed by her forearm, her arm, shoulder… until the half side of her body became completely transparent. Ishida and Sado's eyes widened— Inoue's reiatsu had vanished as well.

"O-Orihime!" It was Tatsuki's horrified cry that snapped Ichigo out of his stupefied stupor. With a jolt of pure dread, he realized… Orihime's reiatsu had vanished as well.

"D-Damn it… Damn it! Orihime!" He clutched her frantically. "No, no… No! _Orihime!_"

_What's happening? What should I do? What the fuck should I do?_

All he was good at was fighting.

_What should I do?_

Trembling, he clutched Orihime to his body. His heart was clenching so hard that he could not breathe. Fear and despair poisoned his blood and gripped his lungs.

He could not breathe.

He could _not _breathe.

"Damn… Orihime…" He whispered hoarsely against her temple. Her whole body began to fade away but Ichigo refused to let go. Yes. He, he was good at _not letting go. _With his other hand, he clutched the side of her head, growling against her temple. Long, bright locks spilled from the spaces between his fingers. Unnoticed, few strands started to dissolve.

He squeezed his eyes shut, his teeth grinding.

"Stay the fuck with me!"

Ichigo moved his head so that he was breathing harshly against her parted lips.

"…Please. Goddamn it, please_, _Orihime." His voice was thin, brittle and shaking, like a tottering building – he sounded like somebody else. He sounded so weak. There was an earthquake inside him, causing him to crumble.

He took a deep, trembling breath and whispered, "_Please._"

In front of their eyes, in a blink of an eye, Orihime's body became solid again. It stiffened, went slack, and her reiatsu shot up so forcefully it caused Kiego, Tatsuki and Mizuiro to tremble in their feet before stabilizing.

Ichigo blinked, wide-eyed as he looked down at Orihime. She was breathing softly; he grabbed her right shoulder hard, dragged his fist down her arm before squeezing her tiny-boned hand. He was looking at her with a wild look in his dark amber eyes.

"Ichigo —"

He stiffened and looked up to Sado. His face hardened as though he had woken up from a nightmare. "Thanks, Chad." Easily, he lifted Orihime in his arms and stood up, his face hard. Before they could stop him, Ichigo had turned and left the rooftop.

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**83**

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.

When he opened the door, Urahara had to fake a look of surprise.

"Long time, no see, Kurosaki-san!" He said cheerily.

"I need your help!" Ichigo had no time to exchange pleasantries. "Orihime. She's…"

Urahara looked down and saw Orihime's unconscious body. "I'm not a clinic, you know." He said in a light tone.

A vein throbbed in Ichigo's temple. "Damn it! Just help me! There's something wrong with Orihime! She—"

"What's going on?" Yoruichi interrupted, appearing behind Urahara in her cat form.

"Yoruichi-san! Orihime… she's—"

Urahara snapped his fan shut. "Tessai-san," The tall man appeared. "Please prepare a room for our lovely guest."

.

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**84**

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.

"Are you sure?"

Ichigo scowled at Urahara. "Do I look like I am kidding!" snapped the boy. The three of them were seated in the shop's common room. Yoruichi, still in her cat form, scratched the back of her ear.

"I am fucking sure!" Ichigo continued; Urahara did not flinch at the violent curse. "She _faded – _the right side of her body faded away—" He gestured at his body, "and her reiatsu disappeared. It never happened before – her body fading, I mean –"

"I believe you about Inoue-san's spiritual pressure but her body _fading away_—"

"I'm not the only one who saw it! Chad, Ishida, my friends were there and they saw it too!" Ichigo interjected heatedly, panic lacing his angry tone.

"Maybe you need your eyes examined—"

Ichigo had had enough.

"_Goddamn it_! I'm not here to provide you entertainment!" He yelled.

Yoruichi turned her head to look at the teen. "Ichigo, calm yourself."

"I am _not _going to calm down, goddamn it!" Ichigo roared. Outside, Ururu and Jinta paused in their chores at the sound of the yell and violent surge of reiatsu. Ichigo clenched his trembling fists. "There's _something_ going on, there's something _wrong_! If you don't want to help me, just say so!"

"Calm down, Ichigo." Yoruichi glanced at the blond. "This is not the perfect time to jest, Kisuke."

"Hai, hai, I apologized, Kurosaki-san. Of course, I'll help! I like Inoue-san, she's so lovable!"

Ichigo glared, not comforted at all. He was still angry, troubled and confused. He itched to see Orihime, to touch her. Seeing the strange phenomenon unnerved him, no matter how hard he tried to conceal his panic. He needed to see her and make sure she was there. He got up to leave but not without warning Urahara,

"Don't do funny business, got it? And don't touch _her _unless it's absolutely necessary!"

"Even Inoue-san's hair?"

The orange-haired boy gritted his teeth. "Not even a single strand!" He snarled.

"So possessive~" sang Urahara.

Ichigo replied by forcefully sliding the door shut behind him.

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**85**

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.

Tatsuki came frequently but as much as she wanted to ask what was going on, as advised by Uryuu, she kept her questions to herself for Ichigo was liable to explode even with slightest, innocent questions.

It was like watching a volcano, a trembling… pulsing volcano.

She sighed and looked at her best friend's face. Orihime had been sleeping for four days straight now. Orihime looked healthy; she looked as though she was having a nap. Perhaps the only odd thing about the sleeping girl was the unusual length of her sleep.

Uryuu brought a doctor to check on the auburn-haired girl without Ichigo's consent (which infuriated the deputy shinigami). The findings were simple: her vital signs were normal, her blood pressure was low, her pulse and respiratory rate were normal as well. It seemed that there was nothing wrong with her, at least physically. The physician suggested Orihime to undergo brain scan, but Ichigo replied it wasn't needed.

There was nothing wrong with her body, he had said.

The doctor frowned at that but didn't further question the scowling boy.

"Look, I know you mean well. If there's something wrong with her, it's inside her, got it?" Ichigo snapped at Ishida after the doctor had left.

"Well," Uryuu began as they sat around Orihime's futon, "Did Urahara-san mention anything?"

Ichigo snorted. "I told him to stay the fuck away from Orihime."

Uryuu frowned, "how do you expect him to examine her?"

Ichigo glared. "I refused to let him touch her." Tatsuki, Sado and Uryuu stared at the orange-haired boy. Uryuu recovered first.

"You are unbelievably moronic, Kurosaki."

"Say what!"

The seventh day, Urahara and Yoruichi sat at the doorway of Orihime's temporary room. Yoruichi was in her human form, staring at the immobile girl under her thick lashes.

"Inoue-chan's so lazy," said Urahara lightly.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes, "Kisuke, she hasn't woken up for seven days." She pointed out. "And I'm not exaggerating. This is not normal."

"To be honest, I don't have any idea why this is happening."

"But you know _what's _happening," the woman drawled.

Urahara shrugged. "I can only make an intelligent guess. However, I cannot exactly pinpoint the origin of the problem." Yoruichi watched Urahara's face transform. "There's so little reiatsu that her body, as a compensation, chooses to shut down. You see, a body and a soul expend spiritual pressure when it is awake, thus, to avoid running out of 'gasoline', the body chooses to 'sleep'."

"How about her reiatsu, what's wrong with it?"

"That is what I am confused about. We all know her reiatsu reserves aren't as spectacular as Kurosaki-san's but she's not practically weak." Urahara paused, weighing his next words. "I'm not sure, but it if this continues…"

There was a stiff silence.

Yoruichi looked at him blankly, waiting for him to continue.

"Kurosaki-san mentioned that there were several episodes of Inoue-chan losing her reiatsu completely, but she's still here. Her body shuts down instead of fading away. As a matter of fact, I think one of the reasons why she hasn't… _died_ yet is that she has _six _spirits acting as columns that keep her body and soul upright."

"Her Rikka," Yoruichi said.

"Hai. I also believe that her constant exposure to Kurosaki-san helps. His massive reiatsu must have strengthened the powers of her Rikka, thus prolonging her life."

Yoruichi furrowed her brows. "This is more alarming than I thought."

Urahara stood up, brushing imaginary dusts off his pants, "To get into the heart of the crisis, it's best to ask one of her fairies. I am sure they know what is going on inside their princess' little universe."

"You should inform Ichigo." The woman added.

"And make him worry even more?"

"Make him understand the situation. Prepare him for the worst."

Urahara forced a giggle behind his fan. "Worst? You make it sound like something really bad is going to happen~!"

Yoruichi glared at him. "I have a _really _bad feeling about this."

.

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**86**

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.

Ichigo was frowning heavily, his knuckles almost white as he clenched his fists.

"That's…"

"What I told you is merely a hypothesis." Urahara chimed, "Inoue-chan's powers are complicated and my knowledge about her 'phenomenon rejection' powers is very limited. I suggest you ask one of her Rikka or maybe Hachi-san. I recalled he was able to help Inoue-chan before."

"Fine," Ichigo rubbed the area between his eyes. "But for the meantime, can Orihime stay here?"

Urahara waved his fan. "No problem, Kurosaki-san! Since you're my most frequent customer, I'll let your princess stay here for free~! A sleeping beauty might bring us good fortune!"

.

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**87**

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.

The fourteenth day, the door behind him slid open. Ichigo didn't lift and turn his head. Footsteps entered and stopped.

"Ichigo,"

Heavy-lidded eyes lifted behind thick orange bangs, "Rukia."

Rukia sat down; Renji settled beside the petite shinigami; Sado laid a large hand on Ichigo's shoulder before sitting down next to him; Uryuu was on the gentle giant's other side. Both Rukia and Renji were in their shinigami forms.

"You look pathetic as usual, Kurosaki."

Ichigo felt his eye twitch. "Shut your trap, Ishida."

Rukia reached forward to put a hand on Orihime's forehead. "Hey, Inoue." She greeted quietly. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "You've been very lazy." Orihime responded by breathing deeply. "Ichigo," The boy lifted his gaze from his sleeping girlfriend's serene face. Rukia retracted her hand and fixed him a curious but serious look. "What happened?"

Ichigo's frowning face grew more solemn, more tired. Instead of replying, though, he shrugged.

Rukia twitched. "Ichigo –"

"Fine," he snapped. "She faded."

Shock filled Rukia's eyes. "What?"

Ichigo glared at her ominously. "You heard me."

Rukia opened her mouth to snap back a reply but Renji laid a hand on her small shoulder. She looked at him and Renji shook his head, jerking a sharp nod at Ichigo's direction. Rukia pursed her lips and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Obviously, the idiot was in pain, Rukia thought. He looked sick with _pain, _but as usual, he chose to mask and bear the pain alone. Painfully, Rukia remembered the vision of Orihime that she had seen four months ago during Ichigo's birthday. She had seen Orihime flicker, distort and in her panic, Rukia had yanked Orihime's arm. Her throat closed up. Orihime… _fading? _The thought made her stomach twist. She could not even imagine how Ichigo was feeling.

"Has Urahara-san explained anything to you?" asked Ishida.

"He did," Ichigo answered gruffly. "But it doesn't make any sense. He said there's something wrong with her reiatsu, with her _body_."

Renji frowned, "Yeah? What's the deal with her reiatsu? I can't feel it." Sado looked at the redhead quietly whereas Ishida flashed the lieutenant with a sharp look. Thankfully, Ichigo didn't fly off the handle albeit he was glaring darkly, a muscle clenching in his jaw.

"But Ichigo can feel it, right?" Sado quickly amended, looking at his friend.

"Yeah… She's so easy to feel." The orange-haired replied stiffly, still pissed off at Renji's remark.

Rukia, however, disagreed quietly. Even before, Orihime's presence was one of the hardest to feel. Her reiatsu was so soft and harmless. It was like catching smoke and grasping sunshine with your bare hands.

"Ichigo,"

He didn't look up but Rukia knew he was listening.

"Everything will be alright."

Ichigo looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Idiot," he deadpanned.

Rukia twitched.

"Of course, it will. I'll make it alright."

She watched his determined, tired face carefully and nodded slowly. "Yeah…" The corner of her mouth turned up slightly, "Of course. You'll make it alright." The group chatted for a while with little to no inputs from Ichigo who was watching Orihime's face. He stiffened suddenly.

"Orihime," The room became quiet instantly, heads turning to look at the girl on the pink futon. Thick, dark lashes slowly lifted, revealing dazed eyes. She looked disoriented; they could see her try grasp at her surroundings.

"Inoue?" Rukia inched closer to her friend. The auburn-haired girl blinked slowly, gaze focusing.

"A-Ah…" Orihime's voice had always been gentle, but _this _gentleness now scared Rukia. The corner of Orihime's lips lifted in a small, strained smile. "Ku… Kuchiki-san…" Rukia returned the small smile. She watched Orihime's head turn to her other side, sensing Ichigo's presence. The girl's smile widened slowly, looking less confused and more awake. "Kurosaki-kun," her voice was stronger and louder now. Orihime grinned slowly, teasingly at the scowl she got in return. "I mean… I-Ichigo."

"Hey you," Ichigo squeezed her hand. She squeezed back, smiling brightly at him despite her obvious drowsiness. Her eyes looked around, the corners crinkling at the sight of her friends.

"Ah… Hi everyone," Sado replied with a thumb's up gesture. Orihime's gaze went back to Ichigo. "Ho… How… how are you?" She asked quietly.

Ichigo showed a small smirk. "I'm the one who should ask that question."

"Well… I asked… first…" She paused and closed her eyes. Rukia frowned; Orihime opened her eyes again. "I'm fine. Just sleepy, really… sleepy," She tried to grin.

"Did we wake you, Inoue-san?" Ishida asked.

"Oh, no… Actually, I— I'm glad I woke up. I wanted to see everyone." Her expression became solemn. "I – I just wish Tatsuki-chan is here…" She looked up to Ichigo's intense amber eyes. "Did you tell her that … I'm alright … Ichigo?"

"Yeah, I told her you're just being lazy."

Orihime giggled softly. "Thank you," she paused again to breathe, eyes closing. Ichigo rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. "I… I'm sorry…" Her eyelids lifted slowly. "I'm sorry, I made you all worry about me. I… I've become a burden again —"

"Ori—" Ichigo started.

"Don't say that!" Rukia interjected. Orihime's gaze met Rukia's. "You're not a burden! Don't say such stupid things like that! You're our friend and… You're very important." Orihime was smiling up at her gratefully. Rukia sighed. "Look, just get well, OK?"

"Hai… Arigato, Kuchiki-san… Maybe if I sleep more, I'll recover faster." Orihime turned to Ichigo who was wearing his default expression. The only difference was the look in his eyes. He looked tired and agitated. She wanted to reach up and touch his face. When was the last time she saw that scowling, handsome face?

"Ichigo…"

Despite his tired face, to Orihime, the effect he had on her just by looking at her didn't lessen. She smiled gently.

"Don't look at me like that."

His jaw clenched, eyes almost black.

"Have you eaten? How was school…? Are you… doing your assignment?"

Ichigo sighed deeply. "Don't worry about me. I'm eating." Tessai-san had threatened to force-feed him.

"And…?" Ichigo didn't reply. Orihime studied him carefully but she didn't have to try hard to read him. "Are you… skipping school?"

The four looked at Ichigo, daring him to lie.

"Yes."

Worry creased Orihime's forehead. "But… why? Are you sick? Are you hurt? Did… Did something happen?"

Ichigo's face tensed up; Orihime waited patiently. Finally, the orange-haired boy grunted a reply while running a hand over his thick, messy hair. "You're not there."

Orihime blinked, surprised, and then, her expression softened. "Ku… Ichigo-kun, have you…" At this point, Rukia thought it was time for to leave the pair alone. She cleared her throat loudly.

"I think we should go." Orihime looked at her quizzically. Rukia elaborated. "You two need to talk." The smaller woman began to stand up. She gestured to Renji with an arch of her brow. "In private, I believe," she added.

"B-But…"

Ishida followed suit. "Kuichiki-san is right. I have to go as well."

"Oh…" Orihime murmured, lowering her lashes. Ichigo's lips thinned, his scowl not lifting as he looked up to his friends. "See you soon, then, Kuchiki-san…?"

The corner of Rukia's mouth lifted. "Yes. So, get well soon." Orihime beamed at her. Renji waved casually, exchanging nods with Ichigo as he followed Rukia out.

"I wish you fast recovery, Inoue-san." Orihime smiled gratefully while Ichigo's face twitched when Ishida blatantly ignored him, exiting the room, followed by Sado.

"Smartass." He snorted.

"Oh Ichigo… You and Ishida-kun are so funny together."

"You wound me, Orihime." Ichigo deadpanned. "Please do not put our names together in one sentence."

A comfortable silence passed between them. Orihime was smiling up at him, her other hand gently gripped the blanket over her body. Still scowling, albeit softer this time, he put a hand on her head, bright, auburn strands curling around his long fingers.

"…have you… been staying here all this time?" she asked quietly, eyes half-lidded.

Ichigo grunted, still stroking her hair. "So what?"

She pouted, "That's not an answer~"

"It is now."

She watched his face; sometimes, she made him uncomfortable when she watched his face with her direct eyes. When she looked at him like that, he felt exposed, sometimes, he felt vulnerable. Like now.

"I know this… t-this is so selfish of m-me but…" she closed her eyes, breathing softly. After a few heartbeats, Orihime opened her eyes slowly. "I'm glad… you're here." Ichigo grunted, carefully rubbing her scalp with the tip of his fingers. "Ne… Ichigo,"

"Hm?" He raised an eyebrow at her inquiringly.

"May I… may I touch your face?" Ichigo's brows rose at her request.

"Go ahead." He caught a slight hesitation passed her face. Her little teeth bit down on her bottom lip. His frown deepened. "Orihime?"

She blinked owlishly at him. "Um…" She giggled nervously. "S-sorry… But… um," her gaze dropped anxiously, then lifted again to meet his stare, a small sheepish smile on her lips. "I think… the aliens invaded and glued my arms to the floor." She paused, biting her lip and squeezing his hand lightly with her fingers. "I-I… I can't m-move…" Her voice lowered until it became a whisper, but Ichigo still heard her.

_I can't move._

Fear trapped him in a choke hold. This fear was poisoning him, making him helpless, _so _weak. He hated this feeling. But Ichigo put on his brave face – he was the stronger one, the one with a sword – he had to be strong, to be brave for the two of them. So he held her hand tighter, and lifted it to his face. Her cool fingers touched his cheek and Ichigo fought the immense feeling of being engulfed. Her smile widened, eyes bright like pale gray neon lights. In response, he felt the corner of his mouth twitch and lift in a small smile.

"I…" His lips thinned, frown deepening. He still found it difficult to intone his feelings. Nevertheless, he thought she deserved to know – needed to know how he felt. "I miss you."

"Really?" she asked with eagerness.

"Yeah," he answered, slightly amused at her wide-eyed enthusiasm. She beamed.

"I miss you, too… I miss your grumpy face."

"Good," Ichigo watched her face, her eyes diligently studying his face, every curve, line and wrinkle.

"Hmm…" she hummed delicately. "You're so handsome, Ichigo…" A pale blush crept over his cheek.

"Are you making fun of me?" he grunted to conceal his embarrassment at being complimented.

Orihime pouted. "But it's true…" She smiled at his deepening, adorable scowl. Her thumb brushed across his cheekbone. His scowl became alarmed when tears suddenly filled her eyes.

"Ori –"

"Na… Please don't worry. T-These are not sad tears," She assured him while Ichigo brushed her cheeks. "I… I'm just so happy to see you…" She giggled sheepishly. "I'm so emotional, aren't I…?"

Ichigo clenched his jaw. He slid his arm under her and scooped her body off the futon and pressed her against him. He moved her hand on his face to the back of his head as he kissed her fully on the mouth. Orihime melted, eyes squeezed shut as his kiss deepened.

"Ichigo…" She murmured against his lips. In response, Ichigo held her tighter against his body, the hand on her hair tightened its grip. Orihime smiled dreamily; she had missed his body warmth so much. His presence always comforted her, made her feel safe.

However, for Ichigo's part, like a ghost, Urahara's words echoed inside his mind. And worst, like film negatives, the scene of her fading hand flashed before his eyes.

Startling Orihime, Ichigo groaned, almost in pain, and clung to her tighter, as though he was trying to substantiate that she was still present, and very tangible. He found himself muttering, telling her and himself that he will not let her go and if she left, he will go after her and bring her back. This confused Orihime; where will she go? She could not even lift her arm, let alone walk and leave. But she let him embrace her for she liked it very much when they were so close to each other.

"Ichi, I'm not going anywhere." She comforted, snuggling closer to his cheek.

The orange head just grunted and ran his fingers over her hair. This gesture always made her feel loved and more special. Every time he touched her hair, it made her like her hair even more, even though in the past, her hair color caused people to hate her and pick on her. Tenderly, she embraced him back and told him how much she loved him more than her favorite shows and favorite food, how she loved him tenderly but at the same time, fiercely.

"Please, don't forget that, Ichigo."

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* * *

**title. **she sleeps and she's beautiful**  
summary. **Tenderly, she embraced him back and told him how much she loved him more than her favorite shows and favorite food, how she loved him tenderly but at the same time, fiercely.**  
prompt. **/  
**note. **ah! sorry for this late update~ RL's incredibly busy and this, this is a very difficult chapter D: nevertheless, here it is! thank you for reading and for sharing your thoughts! :D**  
disclaimer. **disclaimed ; applied**  
**


	13. he will not give up

**88**

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Two days later, Hachigen came. It was Saturday – too bright, with no clouds. Unobstructed, the sun poured down its sunlight onto the world. Urahara, it seemed, was considerate enough to send a message to the Vizards. Ichigo had only asked for Hachigen, but the rest of the Vizards had come.

The door to Orihime's room slid open loudly. Ichigo looked up quickly and instantly, a vein throbbed in his temple. "What the fuck." He hissed quietly. He stood up quickly, hand shooting forward to grab Shinji's collar to fling him backward and out of the room before the blond could lay his hand on Orihime. There was dull thud of back hitting wood and a sound of a door being carefully slid close.

"Oi, what –"

"What are you doing, barging in like that? She's sleeping!" Ichigo snarled, snatching back his hand.

Shinji snorted, adjusting his collar. "Jeez. So overactin', Ichigo."

"I am not –"

"What did you do to Orihime-chan?"

The orange-haired boy bristled. "I didn't do anything to her, dumbass!" Ichigo snapped. "Where's Hachi?"

"Underground," answered Shinji in a lazy drawl. He raised a brow at Orihime's general direction, looking thoughtful. "Hmm, that's odd. Orihime-chan is still alive even though she doesn't have enough reiatsu to hold her up."

Fear seized his heart in a chokehold, freezing his lungs, the air he breathed. It felt as though an invisible hand tore into his chest and gripped his heart and crushed his lungs. Filled with mixed emotions, Ichigo knocked Shinji back to the wall hard with a loud thud.

Prudently, Shinji hid a wince and a complaint; _that hurt_. The spike in reiatsu was expected, and it hurt _– _like a lick of white hot flame, maybe because he was standing close to the source _himself._

"Damn you." Ichigo snarled, seething, his voice rising at every syllable. "Don't go spouting shit! You don't –"

"Ichigo,"

Still livid, he glanced to the side and found Rukia; she looked unimpressed, her brows mirroring his familiar scowl, and Renji was standing behind her with a glare. Standing on Rukia's right was Tatsuki who was frowning deeply. Standing behind her, slightly to the right was Ishida, and behind the Quincy was Sado.

"If you want to yell your lungs out, do it outside. Inoue is sleeping." Rukia hissed, eyes sharp. "Your reiatsu is all over the place. Be considerate!" Ichigo gritted his teeth, snorted and turned to walk back inside Orihime's room, followed closely by Tatsuki who threw Shinji a dry look. Inside, lying on a pink futon, russet hair spread out like a fan of flowing red river, Orihime slept peacefully, unperturbed by his outburst.

Keeping his eyes on Orihime's sleeping face, Ichigo addressed his friends. "Look, I have to talk to someone. Watch over her." He reached out a hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from Orihime's forehead.

"You don't have to tell us." Ishida said sharply, pushing up his glasses. Ichigo looked unconvinced, reluctant to leave but eventually conceded, standing up from his crouching position.

"Call me as soon as she wakes up." Ichigo added to which Rukia replied with a dismissive wave. "And you," he hissed at Shinji. "You're coming with me!"

"Ya idiot, I came here to see Orihime-chan," the blonde drawled which further aggravated Ichigo.

"You saw her already, didn't you? Now, let's go!" He yanked Shinji by his sleeve.

"Oi, oi! This dress shirt is expensive, yo! Get your filthy hands off my shirt," Ichigo complied with a snort. They hurried down, and found Hachi and the rest of the Vizards involved in a chat with Urahara.

"Hey, Hachi!"

"Good day, Ichigo-san," Hachi greeted back politely with a bow of his head. Mashiro waved at him with a loud "Berry-tan!" while Kensei and Hiyori glared questioningly. Lisa, Love and Rose had curious expressions on their faces.

"Yeah, thanks for coming. It's about Orihime." Hachi frowned, concerned. "She's not in a good condition. Something's wrong with her reiatsu. Can you help us figure out what's wrong with her?"

"For me to make a conclusion, I have to see Orihime-san first." Hachi answered. Ichigo nodded in understanding.

"Alright, wait here. I'm going to get her. Hopefully, she's awake today. She sleeps most of the time." Ichigo hurried upstairs whilst Shinji sat down on a rock, ignoring the questioning glances his comrades sent his way.

When Ichigo reached Orihime's room and slid the door open, Renji was in the process of getting up. "Perfect timing, Inoue's awake." Rukia remarked, gesturing to the girl. Ichigo nodded and sat down on the floor, facing Orihime who looked as if she was in the middle of waking up and dreaming.

"Hey," He took her hand. At his touch, Orihime's blank gaze refocused and she smiled at him, eyes heavy-lidded. "Hachi is here."

Orihime blinked. A vague look of confusion crossed her face. "H… Hachi?" Ichigo frowned and leaned closer.

"Yeah. You told me you met him once. Big guy, pink hair. He's friends with Shinji." Still, Orihime wore a confused expression, looking as though she was trying to jog her memory. And then, she closed her eyes.

Ichigo's frown deepened; Rukia and Tatsuki observed them, growing more concerned.

"Orihime…" Ichigo began, a hint of trepidation lacing his tone. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Eyes still closed, the auburn-haired girl squeezed his hand in response and murmured, "I… I'm fine… Just a little… c-confused…"

"About what?" Ichigo asked. Orihime did not answer. Confused, Ichigo glanced up to Rukia questioningly but the shinigami looked equally confounded by Orihime's behavior. Ichigo gazed back to his girlfriend's face frowningly. "Orihime?" The space between her fine eyebrows wrinkled very slightly. Long, thick lashes fluttered before lifting.

"S-Sorry… I…"

"It's OK. But do you feel alright?"

"Y-Yes… Sorry…" She smiled shyly. "I-I went blank all of a sudden. Who is… it again?"

"Hachi, he's a Vizard – like me. You met him before, remember? Big guy, pink hair."

Orihime stared at him quizzically before her face lit up in recognition. "O-Oh! H-Hachi-san… Hai, hai… I remember…"

Ichigo, perturbed by her previous behavior, decided to continue with his explanation. Consulting Hachigen was today's priority. "Hachi's going to help us determine your condition. Urahara-san said he was able to help you before."

Orihime took a deep breath before replying. "Yes… He helped… me… He helped me restore…" She frowned again. "Ah… I'm a little slow today… it's kinda hard to r-remember some things…"

"You're too sleepy. Do you need to rest more? We don't have to do this today." Ichigo asked gently. Orihime shook her head.

"It's okay… Oh, it's Tsubaki-kun. He helped me restore… Tsubaki-kun,"

In the background, Tatsuki frowned; Orihime she sounded so weak. She reminded Tatsuki of a passing breeze, a ripple on a surface of water. Tatsuki did not like to think she was losing her, but seeing Orihime like _this, _it was crippling. It felt like she was about to lose a very important part of her, her right arm or maybe the legs she used in Karate. She clenched her fists and chided herself for thinking negatively – everything would be alright, she told herself.

Ichigo's large hand mindlessly stroked the top of Orihime's head, his eyes narrowed. When he spoke, it was quiet and tense. "So, is it alright if we go and see him now?"

Despite her apparent lethargy, Orihime replied with a bright smile. Ichigo gave a small smile in return and lifted the blankets off her. Orihime was wearing pajamas with animal faces prints. Carefully, Ichigo helped her sit up, combed her hair with his fingers and adjusted her hairpins. They were a little dull, he noticed, the usual brilliance was gone. He wrapped an arm around her back, slid his arms under her knees and lifted her up.

Orihime sighed deeply. "I'll try not fall asleep today, Ichigo." She whispered against his chest.

"Don't try so hard," replied Ichigo, distracted, as he straightened up. Rukia, Tatsuki, Sado, Ishida and Renji followed him down to the underground training grounds; Rukia was quietly watching the sway of Orihime's long auburn hair but not really seeing the long locks of hair. At Renji's touch on her small shoulder, she blinked and looked up. Renji offered a small smile – somehow, it comforted her, but only a little.

.

.

**89**

.

.

"Orihime-san,"

The booming voice of Hachigen filled the tense silence. The Vizards kept their distance, but they watched with unsuppressed curiosity and anxiety. It was not their business; they were not close to the girl but Hachi _liked _Orihime – someone he can relate to, and Shinji _liked _her too, only _differently_. And most importantly, Ichigo was their comrade, an ally and Orihime, as his girlfriend automatically became their ally, too. Besides, Orihime was likeable, and they liked her – even though Hiyori still harbored some strange like-hate feelings.

Ichigo and Hachigen waited for Orihime to open her eyes. Ichigo knelt in one knee, supporting Orihime's body in one arm and on his lap. Gently, he cupped her cheek and stroked her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb.

"Hime," At the sound of his voice, Orihime's eyelids slowly lifted. She looked disoriented at first; after a few blinks, her gaze refocused and she smiled a little, whispering a weak apology. "It's alright. Hachi is here, Hime."

"Mmm…" She moved her head to look at Hachigen. "Hi, Hachi-san," Ichigo knew she was trying her best to inject more enthusiasm in her voice.

Hachigen sat down, a hand on his chin while scrutinizing the weak girl. "May you please summon your fairies, Orihime-san?" Urahara, who was watching quietly, straightened up.

"Orihime, it's okay. Lean on me, alright?" Ichigo said when Orihime tried to sit up on her own.

"B-But… I'm heavy…" She mumbled with a small smile.

"No, you're not." In truth, Ichigo knew she could not sit up independently. He shifted her in his lap, his strong arm cradling her small, narrow back. "Are you uncomfortable?" he asked, smoothing down the tangles in her hair.

"Mm, I'm fine…" Orihime sighed deeply, resting her head on Ichigo's chest.

"Inoue-chan," Urahara piped in, "Please limit your summon in one fairy."

The girl blinked curiously but nodded. "Un… Ano, Tsubaki-kun?"

There was a one second pause before a bright flash of gold zipped out of her hairpin. The male fairy burst free and yelled, "Baka!"

Ichigo twitched. "Shut up!" He snapped, controlling his temper. Orihime never expressed her dislike for loud voices and arguments, but he knew she was not comfortable with them, thus he always tried (and sometimes failed) to control his anger. "Don't go calling her idiot!"

Tsubaki shot him a sharp look but didn't say anything to him. "Now, what, woman?" he snapped in the direction of Orihime. "I can't stay long! I have to help others in trying to keep you alive, so speak quickly!"

Ichigo looked stunned. "…What… do you mean 'trying to keep me alive'?" It was Orihime who voiced his concern. "Is… Is there something wrong… Tsubaki-kun?"

"You," he enunciated, "are an idiot! Of course, there _is _something wrong! We're surprised that you're still alive despite the mess you created!"

Ichigo recovered from shock and hissed, "Stop," he interrupted, "talking to Orihime like that."

"Shut up, idiot! This is between me and this woman! Now listen up," Tsubaki moved closer and hovered in front of Orihime's face menacingly. "Time is running out and you have to do something right now while you still have the reiatsu to do it! We can't stop _it _anymore. _It's _too damn strong and greedy."

"…It…?" Orihime stammered.

Tsubaki raised a dark brow. "Wait… Don't tell me… You forgot, didn't you?"

Orihime frowned, putting a small hand on her forehead, screwing her eyes shut. Several seconds ticked by, and then Orihime's eyes flew open, wide and aghast, horrified comprehension dawning on her face.

"Hime, what's wrong?" Ichigo squeezed her shoulder. Orihime glanced over at him, her large, glassy eyes seemed to drown him.

"I… I…"

"Orihime-san?" prompted Hachi concernedly.

Tsubaki moved a few steps back in the air, arms folded in front of his chest. "You _did not _reject it. You _absorbed _it."

"What?" Ichigo asked, confused, now looking at the fairy. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Tsubaki only glared. Orihime swallowed and whispered.

"It's the… Hougyuko."

.

.

**90**

.

.

Urahara stiffened, his eyes wide, as his spine jerked, ramrod straight.

"I… I thought…" Orihime began to tremble. She bit her lip and heaved a deep sigh. "Shun'o."

Hachigen straightened up. "Orihime-san, wait –"

Everyone in the venue frowned in confusion; Orihime's reiatsu dropped, almost zero. It was weak, as though the reiatsu was nothing but a breeze. Rukia gasped and yelled out, "Inoue!" Renji grabbed her shoulders to keep her in place. If Rukia was panicking, then Ichigo was having a heart attack.

"O-Orihime!" Ichigo wrapped an arm around Orihime's shoulders tightly, eyes wide. "What the hell – Hachi! What's happening! Orihime… her –" A bright yellow light, similar to the light Tsubaki created a while ago, appeared and disappeared in quick succession.

"Orihime-sama!" Shun'o gasped. "This is –"

"P-Please," Orihime's voice was barely audible. Her body slumped, flaccid. Shakily, she lifted a hand and gripped the front of Ichigo's t-shirt, clinging desperately. His presence comforted her, made her stronger – _I won't give up, I won't give up_. "Please, e-explain it to me… For some reason, I … I just… can't r-remember – i-it's hazy… that memory."

"Orihime-sama, we –"

"Explain it to her quickly, top-knot!" Tsubaki snapped.

"I'm so sorry, Orihime-sama. But yes, we are unable to destroy the Orb."

Orihime looked horrified. "But… I thought… we…"

"In a sense, you 'rejected' it in _this_ dimension. Therefore, it is no longer part of _this_ world and there is no way for it to cause troubles _here._ However, instead of rejecting it _entirely_, you reduced it to a metaphysical form." Shun'o paused, panting softly. "Do you remember now?"

Orihime was frowning. "N-No… I can't… it's w-weird… there are things t-that… I-I… can't… remember…"

"Where is it?" demanded Ichigo. "Where is the Hougyuko now?" Shun'o hesitated while Tsubaki snorted and sulked morosely.

_Wait… _Ichigo scowled deeply, gripping Orihime closer to his body. _Tsubaki said…_ His eyes widened in horror. Shun'o must have seen the look on his face because the fairy nodded solemnly.

"It's _inside_ her."

* * *

**title. **he will (not) give up**  
summary. **"You _did not _reject it. You _absorbed _it."**  
prompt. **/  
**note. **D: so very late but it's here, yeah! 2 or 3 more chapters to go before i tackle the long abandoned AU fic _like a sunflower! _**  
disclaimer. **disclaimed ; applied**  
**


	14. she sleeps, a girl made of rainbows

**91**

.

.

"At this point, her soul had suffered irrevocable strain." Shun'o continued. "She isn't going to die, but—" A heavy pause, and then, a sigh. "She is going to disappear." Ichigo stiffened, remembering the afternoon when the half of Orihime's body became transparent.

Silence trapped them in a chokehold. Tatsuki had no idea what Hougyuko was but – _she is going to disappear – _those words rang in her ears, ricocheted inside her head and made an echo. Something, _something _was squeezing her heart in a vice-grip, and it refused to let go. Renji placed an arm around Rukia's shoulders to support her. The tall redhead frowned gravely; Rukia was shaking under his arm.

"Dying is better." Shun'o continued silently. "But Orihime-sama… she… her whole existence will cease to exist."

Ichigo's more powerful, larger frame was shaking, while Orihime remained slack. He clutched at Orihime, his thick arms dwarfing her small frame, clutching at her as though he was drowning. Ichigo looked up from Orihime's shoulder. He was breathless; he felt like he had swallowed a fistful of hard cloud. The ground he mentally stood on was tilting, trembling, crumbling. What was this feeling? He felt like he was sinking to the bottom of an ocean and there was no way for him to survive.

"You're – this is _not _supposed to happen." He hissed. Anger. Use anger, a voice told him, use it. "If only you—"

Tsubaki twitched. "Shut up! Do you think this is easy for _us_? We _are _parts of her soul – if she dies, _we die._ If she disappears, _we disappear!"_

"At least you _are _going to die _with her._" Ichigo spat. "What about me? I am going to be fucking left behind – I am _going _to live while she –" He could not bring himself to say it.

Tsubaki, however, was unimpressed. "Don't hog the spotlight, dumbass! You're not the only one who thinks _this _situation is fucked up! Everyone's having a hard time!"

Ichigo was about to yell back a reply when Orihime spoke. "Please… Please, stop." Tsubaki snorted, grumbled something vicious and looked away. "I'm sorry…"

"Hime, don't." Ichigo shifted Orihime on his lap so that she was facing him. He embraced her, trying to comfort her – but in reality, he was trying, desperately so, to comfort himself. "We'll find a way. I promise." They had to – _he _had to. He stormed Hueco Mundo before, died twice and lived again for her sake. This was just another hurdle, another obstacle to tackle and survive.

"If only I was strong enough…then…"

He pulled away from her and looked deeply into her wide, teary eyes. She looked as if she had aged in a span of minutes. He knew he looked the same. "Don't say that. I know you did your best. Don't blame yourself." He glanced at Shun'o. "What should we do?"

"The Orb has to be destroyed."

"How?" Hachigen asked.

"First, you have to identify the location of the Hougyuko."

"Where is it?" demanded Ichigo.

Orihime slowly turned her head in Shun'o's direction, waiting nervously. "It's in her memories." The fairy replied.

Shinji and the rest of the Vizards were stumped; Rukia, Tatsuki, Sado, Ishida and Renji were flabbergasted while Urahara was confused. "How…"

"We had no idea." The fairy shook his head. "When we were rejecting it, everything was going fast and we were too busy trying to erase it to notice. Orihime-sama was able to _reject _its existence _here_; it became nothing – reduced to a metaphysical form. It lost its form or substance. As a last resort, to survive, it chose to reside inside Orihime-sama. We found out its existence when Orihime-sama started to weaken and lose her reiatsu. For days, we tried to locate it and we found out that the Hougyuko attached itself to Orihime-sama's memories."

"Why _there_?"

Shun'o shook his head. "We don't know. Aside from her memories, it is also absorbing Orihime-sama's reiatsu to strengthen itself and maybe to generate a physical body. We tried to remove it but to no avail."

"…What do I have to do?" A deep silence followed Orihime's question. She had been quiet all throughout the explanation.

"You have to reach inside yourself and," Shun'o paused, wearing a pained expression. At this point, Tsubaki had completely turned away. "And reject your memories."

Orihime stared. "…My… memories…? _Reject _my memories?"

"Hai. By using Tsubaki," Shun'o glanced nervously at the morose fairy, "Ayame, Baigon, Hinagiku Lily and I, you will be able to do it." Large glassy eyes stared back at Shun'o. They were limpid, unnaturally so, clearly reflecting her emotions. "Your memories are already contaminated, Orihime-sama. That is the reason why there are some things that you can no longer remember. The Hougyuko, i-it's _eating away _your memories and your reiatsu, your soul and your—"

"Everything!" Tsubaki snapped loudly. "Eventually, you will become _nothing_. Before shit totally happens, we have to do something about your memories. We have to–" His voice suddenly cracked here, "_Wipe you clean._"

"We tried everything – we did, but it was too late. We want to save you, Orihime-sama, we don't want you to …" said Shun'o in a watery, cracking voice. "So please, cooperate."

However, Orihime had another worry. "B-But… Does it mean… I'll forget _Ichigo_?"

.

.

**92**

.

.

This was how a slow, painful death felt like, Ichigo realized.

Orihime was murmuring, "I… I'm going to be a clean slate. A shell… an empty shell? I'm going to live but…" She swallowed. Her mouth was dry, her limbs felt heavy as though something was sitting on her and crushing her to the ground. "I'm going to forget _everything, _everyone. M-my brother, my promise to Tatsuki-chan, meeting Kuchiki-san for the first time… and… and…" She frowned, trying to jog her memory. "And… and…" Eventually, Orihime gave up and stared blankly at Shun'o.

Ichigo embraced her tighter but it seemed that his presence only served to sharpen the growing despair inside her, feeding her pain.

"I don't want to forget." Her voice sounded like a thin, fragile sound of falling dew. It sounded strange to his ears. "…My brother… my b-brother's face, his laughter, the things he sacrificed for me, the first time I went to Soul Society… do you remember Bonnie-chan, Ichigo? Then, we flew inside a giant transparent balloon… and… then… there's…" She paused. "…oh, we borrowed some clothes from two shinigamis… I met… a pink-haired… little girl then…there's…"

"Aizen," Ichigo whispered.

"Oh… yes, A-Aizen… Then… I had to say goodbye… I left and you came after me… and we… we…" Orihime turned in his lap and looked up to his eyes. Tears started to well up, causing her eyes to shine. Weakly, she clung to him, her small hands clawing at his broad back and in turn, he clung back, burying his face in her hair. "I-I'm sorry, I… I…" Tears started to pour down her cheeks, her fingers fisting over his shirt.

"It's okay." He murmured quietly. Hachigen decided to step back and gave them privacy.

"No…"

"It's going to be okay…"

"_No…_"

"Orihime…"

She shook her head vigorously. "It's not okay! I—"

Ichigo pulled away and looked deeply into her eyes. "Of course it's not. I don't want to be forgotten. I don't want _you _to forget me." Orihime was crying hard now, as though she was retching. Thick tears splashed onto her shirt, to her lap. Her fingers twisted in his shirt.

"But if you're going to live then I'd rather let you forget me than let you _die_."

"B-But… I'm going to f-forget _you_ – everything!" She sobbed, eyes wide with something similar to horror. She looked terrified, and Ichigo understood her fear. "I don't want t-that. Those are _our _memories. Those are good memories – we made those memories _together_. I… I. No. _No._" She squeezed her eyes shut while her body shook like a leaf in the wind.

"Shh…" He had to make her stop crying. It was unbearable to see her cry like this.

"Kuro— Ichigo…"

"I don't want _you_ to forget me. _Us._" His voice cracked but he struggled to be strong. He had to be strong, but –

(inside his inner universe, his Hollow grudgingly looked up; standing next to him was Zangetsu, older, wiser, quieter in his black tarp. It was raining, a heavy, cold downpour. Thick, dark clouds covered the sky and they wept with stunning intensity.

water rose slowly, but it did not show any sign of slowing down or stopping; the world was slowly sinking into despair.

the Hollow snorted, and surprisingly, without a scathing remark, it walked back where it came from, leaving Zangetsu to bathe in Ichigo's sorrow)

"It's starting," said Tsubaki in a hollowed voice. In his lap, Orihime's body began to unnaturally shine and empty spots began to appear all over her body. Ichigo stared at those spots with horror.

"O-Orihime," whispered Ichigo.

"I'm s-sorry," she whispered brokenly.

He swallowed, his jaw clenching as he gritted his teeth. The pain in his chest dulled into constant throbbing. He squeezed his eyes shut – and cursed fate, Aizen, the Orb and Aizen _again_. Why did it have to be Orihime? Why _them? _What was wrong with asking a little piece of heaven, of peace and normal existence? He opened his eyes; tears were slowly coursing down Orihime's cheeks. He will not allow her to die, to cease existing. She deserved to live in any way possible.

"Do it." He said. Orihime looked up to him miserably. "Do it, Orihime." Fresh tears poured down her cheeks as a response. Ichigo held her face, pressing his forehead against hers. "Do it now, Orihime." Her face shone, flickering. A tear fell and disappeared. "I don't care if you forget me. I'll make _you _remember. I don't know how but _I will._"

Orihime looked into his eyes, held his gaze and nodded slowly, unable to speak. She took a shaky, deep breath.

"Kurosaki-san, there is one more thing you need to know." Shun'o said quietly.

He frowned and glanced over at the somber fairy. "What is it?"

Shun'o appeared to be hesitating but he heaved a deep sigh and replied, "After the procedure, Orihime-sama will have to sleep."

Ichigo's frown deepened. "I'm not going to stop her from sleeping."

"You misunderstand. Orihime-sama will fall asleep. For a long time," The confusion lingered. "For how long, we don't know. It might take days, weeks, months. Even years." Shun'o paused. "We don't even know if she'll survive."

A deep, painful silence passed. A terrible sadness gripped Ichigo, a sadness that drilled a hole in his very core. He felt like he fell in an abyss. He felt Orihime's hand on his cheek and that was when he blinked and felt the weight of the reality crushing him down. He looked deeply into her eyes and for the first time, a single look from Orihime was unable to cure the terrible sadness and pain he felt. It felt like he and pain became one. It possessed him and he possessed it.

"Kurosaki-kun…" she whispered softly. Suddenly, Ichigo felt a sudden rush of nostalgia at the name she used. Their first year together, the first time she called him by his first name, the time when she called out his name and told him not to get hurt anymore, her hopeless cry of help, _Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun… Kurosaki-kun…_

All those memories will be expunged, replaced by void. _He _will become nothing to her, while she was everything to him. Even worst, she'll fall into a coma without any assurance of coming out of it.

What had they done to deserve this? Maybe if he didn't fall in love with her, things would be easier. He placed a hand on her cheek. But he'll never regret giving her his heart even though she was breaking it unintentionally.

Her body was opaque now; there was a very tiny pulse of her reiatsu. In her eyes were sorrow, regret and most of all, love. Ichigo pressed his teeth together and with great effort, he told her, "Don't worry. You can sleep as much as you want, Hime." Her lower lip trembled. "I don't care for how long, I will wait."

"I… I'm…" She swallowed with difficulty.

"I'll wait for you. And we will make new memories." Another lifetime, and hopefully, she'd fall in love with him again – he will make sure of it.

She smiled and stroked his cheek. "It… It must be really hard… for you. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry this has to… happen. I'm sorry… for hurting you." Ichigo swallowed hard and found it was painful. His throat constricted but he had already decided: _I will be strong – stronger for the two of us._

"It doesn't matter." He croaked. "Sleep and I'll be there when you wake up."

"Orihime-sama… We don't have much time, please…"

Ichigo nodded at her and Orihime smiled faintly. Shun'o and Tsubaki disappeared and went back to her hairpins. The hairpins glowed brightly and there was a surge of Orihime's reiatsu. She heaved a deep breath, gold and blue particles gathering around her. Ichigo watched Orihime's eyes lose focus, her reiatsu rising, going stronger.

"Orihime…"

The particles drew together and refilled the empty spots in Orihime's body which later became solid again.

Her lips parted.

"I-Ichigo," she whispered in a small but clear voice. "_Kurosaki-kun._"

He clutched her tightly, and as an act of desperation, he whispered against her lips, "I love you. I love you. _I—"_

"I love you, Ichi—" she gasped. "D-Don't forget that. Only you, _always—"_

And then, he kissed her.

.

.

**93**

.

.

Like filmstrips, memories flashed before her eyes. Images of an eighteen year old man and a very little girl, the same man with a gentle smile, a view from a window, a teddy bear sitting on a mantelpiece, pair of flower hairpins, a scene of a traffic accident, a puddle of blood, a bleeding arm, a tiny girl holding up a dying man, a door to a clinic and a young boy with startled expression, a room of antiseptics, a kind uncle who offered his condolences, a girl with dark, spiky hair, two young girls running off, a boy with orange hair.

There were group pictures of people in black, of people in school uniform – a class picture; there was a young woman with white sword and determined face, and a man with red hair and black markings on his face. There were so many of them, pictures of people, buildings, a schoolroom, a familiar street, and landscapes. But most of all, there were pictures of a young orange-haired man and young auburn-haired woman together. As she watched each and every frame, she was filled with incredible happiness. Those pictures exuded contentment and serenity.

As the filmstrips rolled, the other end of the rolling strip was dissolving into particles until there was nothing left. A picture of a scowling man with a tender, small smile and fierce amber eyes replaced the filmstrips. He was the same person who was in the filmstrips with an auburn-haired girl. He smiled at her and she felt tears rolling down her cheeks. In every drop, the features of the man became less distinct. His soft scowl disappeared, followed by his small smile and tender eyes until he became faceless; the outline of his face and body ran backward as though someone clicked on _rewind _button.

His orange hair became gray until there was nothing left but a blank sheet of paper.

…

…

…Her body became flaccid and she was overwhelmed by immense drowsiness. She wanted to fall asleep, sink into a dreamless slumber. Her eyesight was fast becoming blurry, her head strangely felt weightless. She tried to focus and for a second, her vision cleared and she saw a man with orange hair and eyes of a strong, but brokenhearted man. They stared at each other and she wanted to ask why he looked so sad but she was sleepy so she only looked at him and wondered.

She felt her hair being brushed by long fingers. A hand touched her cheek. She felt at peace, safe and protected but at the same time, she felt an inconceivable weight of sadness. She felt empty, like something precious was taken from her. Her eyelids grew heavier and her vision became blurry. He was speaking to her but she could not hear his words very well. Before she completely close her eyes, she felt cold drops of liquid hitting her face, a hand cradling the back of her head and –

_Orihime, I –_

And she wondered,

_Who are you?_

.

.

**94**

.

.

No one dared to make a sound. They watched Ichigo's immobile body, his head bowed as he clutched at Orihime's body. Rukia and Tatsuki's faces were wet with tears. After several agonizing minutes that felt like decades, they watched Ichigo raise himself slowly to standing position, Orihime in his arms.

"Urahara-san,"

The crowd stiffened at the sound of Ichigo's voice. They stared at his back and waited.

"Yes, Kurosaki-san?"

"Can she stay here?"

Urahara replied without hesitation. "Of course, she can. Tessai-san," The burly man jerked and looked at Urahara. His face was wet with tears as well. "Please prepare a room for our dear princess." Tessai obeyed with haste.

Ichigo took a few steps forward, and then stopped.

"Everyone,"

They waited.

"…Thanks."

* * *

**title. **she sleeps, a girl made of rainbows**  
summary. **_Who are you?_**  
prompt. **/ **  
disclaimer. **disclaimed ; applied**  
**


	15. he waits each day, everyday

_Five years later._

_

* * *

_

**95**

.

.

Heavy footsteps in the hallway approached a room.

Inside that room, a man looked up from the book he was reading, a scowl firmly in place. Abruptly, the footfalls stopped, the door slid open in one smooth move. Amber eyes glared through messy orange bangs.

"For a midget, your footsteps awfully resembled a—"

"Shut up if you don't have anything nice to say, idiot."

He scoffed and the young woman stepped inside the threshold and closed the door behind her. The shinigami kneeled on the floor, and placed the parcel she was carrying on the floor beside her.

Once or sometimes twice in every month, Rukia would visit Orihime. Ichigo would always be there, stoic and silent, sitting in a corner, reading a medical textbook, wearing reading glasses. Even though he never said anything, Rukia knew he was grateful.

Lifting his eyes from the page of the book he was reading, Ichigo saw Rukia's expression and raised a brow. "What's up with your serious face?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied without looking up. "Just…"

"What?" demanded Ichigo.

"It's weird." She said shortly.

"What is?"

"Her face," answered Rukia. "She really is beautiful when she's asleep. Maybe even more beautiful than when she's awake," Ichigo smirked, placing the book on the floor and plucking his reading glasses off his face.

"Like Sleeping Beauty?"

Rukia arched a brow and smirked back. She remembered reading that story years ago when she stayed with Ichigo's sisters. "Yeah," _Beautiful and… dead, _she added mentally with a tinge of sadness. "Maybe you'd just have to kiss her she'll wake up?" she teased in attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

Ichigo snorted. "You and your shoujo crap,"

Rukia let the dig about her fascination with romance slide. She smirked. "Don't tell me you are not tempted to kiss her?" She asked with faked innocence. Her smirk widened when a blush lit Ichigo's cheeks and vein pounded in his temple.

"Shut up!" He shifted in his corner and crossed his arms in front of his chest with an annoyed grunt. "I know there is something else you wanted to say." He frowned. "She looks dead, that's what you wanted to say, right?" He said matter-of-factly.

So, he did notice, Rukia thought.

"Yeah," she answered cautiously. Ichigo sighed and stared at nothing in particular, his expression carefully guarded.

"We've been feeding her intravenously." Catching Rukia's confused look, he proceeded into explaining what it meant. "We're going to make sure her body remains healthy in case she…" Rukia watched him swallow, a look of pain flitting over his features.

"Ichigo…"

"Don't worry about me." He grunted, frowning to hide his pain. "I may not look like it but I'm a patient and optimistic person. Like I promised to her, I will wait for as long as I can." He scratched his hair which had grown longer and messier. He reminded himself to get a haircut tomorrow. "There are hollows for me to destroy when I get fucking frustrated."

"Fine, but don't isolate yourself from your friends and from other people. Orihime would not like you to be alone because of her." Rukia advised.

"Hey! I don't isolate myself. I just like spending my extra time here than go out and get pissed off with morons."

Rukia smirked knowingly. _Idiot. You wanted to stay here. You wanted to be the first person she sees when she wakes up._

Seeing her expression, Ichigo narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What are you smirking for?"

"Nothing," replied Rukia quickly as though saying it fast will make him believe her.

"Nothing, my ass. Are you –"

"Anyway, Ichigo," she interjected loftily – an attempt to annoy him. "I hope you're not molesting her in her sleep." Her tone promised a lot of pain.

Ichigo's eyes widened, his face now a rich magenta color. "WHAT THE – Rukia, are you _insane?_"

Rukia snorted, still looking at him distrustfully. "Just checking,"

"Shut up. I'm not a pervert."

"I don't trust you." She snorted with a jerk of her chin, and opened the parcel. When Ichigo saw what she extracted, a vein bulged in his temple.

"What the hell, Rukia. Don't you dare!"

Rukia wrinkled her nose. "This is my gift for her. This blanket is expensive, mind you."

"I don't care! It's your stupid rabbit again! I told you to stop bringing those craps in here!"

"But she looks cold and she needs a _blanket—"_

"She has enough blankets to keep her warm!"

"BUT ORIHIME WOULD LIKE TO USE A CHAPPY BLANKET!"

"I SAID NO AND I MEAN IT!"

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**96**

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The room became quiet as soon as Rukia left for Soul Society. She said she'll visit again, maybe next week with Rangiku and Renji. Next time's visit will entail another rabbit-related merchandise he had to refrain from burning. Ichigo sighed and took Orihime's hand. He stroked her knuckles with his thumb before staring at the pale skin and the veins underneath. He lifted his head and looked at Orihime's sleeping face.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a small smile. Rukia had also noticed the strange thing he discovered years ago: Orihime was more beautiful when she was asleep. He first noticed it when they were in high school. He could not remember the exact day but _one _day, while watching her nap, he realized she was lovelier when she was asleep. It was a strange observation. The longer he stared at her, the lovelier she got, and he wanted to capture _that _look and place it in a glass box. His heart would race at the very sight of her sleeping face and he would be consumed by an odd urge to touch and kiss her.

However, things had changed. Everyday, as he watched her, he dreaded the moment when she'll wake up and look at him blankly. He wondered what he'll say to her, if she'll believe in what he'll tell her, if she'll still find his scowl interesting and most of all, _will she fall in love with me again?_

The last thought was what scared him the most. But she promised him five lifetimes of love, didn't she? He hoped, with or without memories, she would find him appealing and worthy. But he will do his part as well. He will strive to do better and worthy of her. He will work for it, for her love and acknowledgment. It will be difficult, he knew, but he had friends who supported him and he knew he can count on them.

He brushed a stray strand from her face, traced her cheek with the tip of his finger and stroked her chin. "Take your time, Hime." He said. "Sleep as much as you want. Don't worry about me."

Despite how strong his feelings for her were, it was not an easy task to wait. There were times he found himself staring at her sleeping face, numb and hopeless. He'd got frustrated oftentimes, especially when he was plagued with thoughts of _what-ifs,_ and no matter how much he loved her, the loneliness and pain of watching her – almost dead – sometimes caused him to give up. He felt like he was floating in the middle of an ocean, stuck in the middle, half-submerged in the sea of tears, weak and desperate. Add in his anxiety of an impending face to face encounter with Orihime who would not recognize him, he was bound to get depressed soon. There was a certain, unbearable pain on being the only one who remembers.

_Only you, always—_

Those words, her last words, helped him get by for five years, feeding him with hope that maybe, maybe – she will find herself back to him.

He did not know what helped him change, but he grew from a rash, bad-tempered teenager to a patient, subdued young man. Maybe it was because of the waiting he had been doing. His temper remained volatile still, but it was mostly provoked by his irritating father who still believed it was his job to train his reflexes by attacking him every time they met.

Just like now.

His father, who appointed himself as "Orihime-chan's faithful bodyguard who will preserve Orihime-chan's virginity from Ichigo's perverted hands", came to visit Orihime. As usual, he greeted his son with roundhouse kick which Ichigo deflected with his arm. The scuffle ended with another smashed shoji door (and upset Tessai and yelling Jinta).

"Orihime-chan is perfectly healthy!" announced Isshin. "Her blood pressure is low, but it was nothing to be worried about." Ichigo grunted, scowling. His father turned to him, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Now, now! May I remind you not to be tempted to—" Ichigo reached forward from Orihime's other side and punched his father's face.

"Go away already, old man!"

"So violent," Isshin pouted. "I'm just protecting Orihime-chan's innocence!"

"You don't have to protect her from _me!_"

Isshin puckered his bottom lip and proceeded to talk to the sleeping girl. At last, after his last babble about his 'good for nothing, undesirable son who refuses to bond with father', he stood up to leave. He slid the door before him and before he left, he glanced over his shoulder, his face devoid of his previous hilarity. His eyes were serious, glinting with slight worry as he looked at his son. Ichigo was watching Orihime, his hand cradling hers. Isshin's frown deepened and silently, he stepped out of the threshold.

Inside the room, Ichigo was about to withdraw his hand when he caught a flash of gold coming from one of her hairpins which he refused to be taken off from her hair despite the circumstances. There was a burst of golden particles and later, he found himself staring eye to eye with a pair of irritated eyes. Ichigo recognized him instantly for those eyes belonged to the creature who found him unworthy, annoying and insufferable.

"T-Tsubaki!" He sounded surprised, happy even, which was odd because, after all, this was the fairy who hated him with a force to be reckoned with.

"Idiot!"

Ichigo twitched, his previous feelings of elation gone in a second. "You annoying flying midget," he growled. As a response, Tsubaki grabbed his lower lip and gave a violent yank.

"Owww! You little—"

"So, how many times did you coop a feel, huh, bastard?" Tsubaki twisted his lip while Ichigo tried his best to pull him off his face. At last, after a final tug, Ichigo managed to free his lip and squeezed Tsubaki inside his palm. The hot-tempered fairy flailed wildly.

"I am _not _a pervert." He snarled. "Now, behave before I _accidentally _break you into pieces!"

"Asshole!" bellowed Tsubaki.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here, by the way? Are you supposed to be here?"

"Of course I –"

Suddenly, a look of astonished surprise fell across Ichigo's face, staring at Tsubaki with wide eyes. "Wait. You… You _remembered_ me."

"So what! LET ME GO." Tsubaki sniped, struggling.

"Tsubaki—"

A movement. Small, but significant movement caught his eye. Ichigo froze. He uncurled his fingers around Tsubaki and scooted closer to Orihime, heart pounding. There was a wrinkle on her nose, a small crease between her brows, a slight flicker of her lashes…

"O-Orihime,"

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**97**

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Five years, eight months and twenty seven days later – Inoue Orihime woke up.

* * *

**title. **he waits each day, everyday**  
summary. **five years, eight months and twenty seven days later – Inoue Orihime woke up.**  
note. **yosh! a quick note before i crawl back to my rabbit hole :D please bear with me! one more chapter and it is done! :D thank you, thank you very much for reading! **  
disclaimer. **Bleach (c) KT/SJ**  
**


	16. we, he and she, the two of us

Lonely landscapes. Birds move overhead.

The distance between huge clouds during dawn is unchanging, a blur, breaking, shattering, separating reality and dreams. Then twilight comes. It seems to stretch forever, not allowing the sun to rise fully; the sun, it hovers below the horizon.

Suspended in empty space, light scatters in the upper atmosphere.

This, she watches, always waiting for the sun to rise.

And waiting, it is never ending, constant.

A cool breeze passes, lifting her hair. She closes her eyes. It is spring, the breeze smells like spring. The grass under her palms, her legs, her skin, they bend under the wind, tickling her.

Her fingers curl and fists over the grass.

Thick lashes flutter, and then eyelids slowly lift, revealing brown eyes, their depth spoke of innocence, of time, space, and love— those things that many people face against.

How many springs have passed? Three, four, five, she does not know. Six, seven, eight. It is always spring. How many hundreds of spring like this lay ahead of her? Lonely landscapes remain unchanged. Birds move overhead. Leaves shuffle in different directions, some getting lost in their way, several keep going. Cherry blossom petals keep falling. And the sun, the sun never rises.

Endlessly, her world teeters between twilight and sunrise.

Still she waits, always waiting for the sunrise, lying on the grass, watching the scattered lights here and there, taking in the spring-scented breeze, and thinking, thinking about the most precious thing that she feels she has lost.

_I felt I've lost something important._

There is a huge cavern inside her, and nothing came in to fill the emptiness.

_I've lost something important. And no matter how hard I tried to take it back, it will remain lost._

And every time she thinks about this, she becomes overwhelmed with profound sadness, a sadness so strong she feels her skin is melting off of her bones. She does not remember when she started to feel such heartfelt loneliness, but it is there, an overwhelming feeling of emptiness.

_What is it? What have I lost?_

Turning her head so that her cheek rests against the grass, she tries to convey her feelings.

_I need to tell you something._

_Something very important… but it's—_

Her eyes squeeze shut as pure pain lances through her.

—_gone._

A tear slides down her cheek, disappearing behind the grass tickling her cheek.

Time flows on undisturbed, silently. When a soft touch brushes against her clenched fist, she opens her eyes, her lashes saturated with tears.

_A hand._

A distant, dream-like vague feeling of someone holding her hand.

_This feeling…_

"I want to remember it."

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_Wake up then._

_You'll remember._

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The sun rises, finally.

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**98**

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Tsubaki gave a small snort, threw Ichigo an unreadable, uncharacteristic placid glance before disappearing into her hairpin.

Her eyes were half-lidded and unfocused as she gazed up to the ceiling, her expression blank. Watching her, Ichigo felt his hands tremble; he curled them into fists to curb his rising anxiety. His heart, it was pounding against his ribs and lungs, in his ears, inside his head; it was loud, painful, racing like a bullet train – it felt _alive_.

He saw her close her eyes as she breathed deeply. Red spots appeared on her cheeks. In one deep breath, her whole body seemed to blossom to life. The rise and fall of her chest became visible as her body adjusted to changes. She tried again to open her eyes. This time, she looked more alert, more awake. There was a small wrinkle between her brows as she adjusted to being awake. And Ichigo, he was _nervous, _afraid even. He was, in simpler terms, overwhelmed with emotions. So overwhelmed was he that when the girl sat up with apparent difficulty, instead of helping her, all he did was gape.

When she turned to him, thick hair disheveled and falling all over her small face and shoulders, wide eyes staring up to him curiously with a smile so painfully familiar tugging at her lips, the emptiness that made Ichigo feel abnormally light for years were slowly being refilled.

Ichigo tried to speak, but what would he say? Words were not his forte. Ichigo was still the same teenage Ichigo – verbally inept whose economy of words was nil. He never told her he loved her – oh, he did once, he remembered; unfortunately, the situation was painful.

Ignoring the widening of her startled eyes, he grabbed her arm and pulled. She can slap him later. He'll live.

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**99**

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She did not struggle.

There was an initial three minutes of stiffening but her body eventually became pliant, leaning against his chest. She even kissed him back, albeit very softly he almost thought it was just his imagination. One of his hands latched on her hair, grabbing the strands in his hands as though he was trying to substantiate her presence while he focused on kissing her slowly yet thoroughly.

Slowly, his fingers relaxed and his hand slid through the auburn strands. Keeping his hand on her hair, he pulled away from her lips. A blush crept over her face, spreading over her cheeks and down to her neck. Vaguely, he wondered how far that blush went.

Her eyelids lifted and Orihime stared at him dazedly, her full, damp lips red from his kiss. Then her gaze lowered to his lips. He pictured the wheels in her head turn as her eyes bulged in horrified understanding, and there was a _slap! – _A sound of flesh meeting flesh.

Squeaking, she scrambled away from him, hands clasped under her chin. She was blushing furiously, matching the color of her hair.

Ichigo blinked and very slowly, he raised a hand and touched his stinging cheek.

"I-I'm sorry." She stammered breathlessly, eyes filled with regret. "I-I was shocked. I-I'm not angry—" Ichigo lifted a brow, and she immediately backpedalled, blushing anew. "B-But it's still wrong! It's my first kiss and… W-Who are you?"

He stared at her, and then, his lips twitched in a small lopsided smile. "It didn't hurt."

She looked baffled. "W-What, y-you mean my slap? T-That's good. But I'm still v-very sorry."

"No." He replied, still staring at her face. It was worth it. Every painful second, every minute of waiting – she was worth it. "You asked me who I am," he elaborated. "I thought it's going to hurt, but it didn't."

"Y-You're not supposed to…" She got redder. "I-It was my first kiss and y-you stole it!" Her ridiculous claim made Ichigo grin briefly in amusement.

"You kissed me back." He reminded her. Her eyes widened.

"N-No! I… I d-did not!" She pressed her palms on her cheeks, squeaking in mortification.

Ichigo shrugged, "You did."

"N-No! I… I…" Orihime covered her face with her hands. Then she looked up from her hands and stared at him, her eyes wide as she spoke softly, "W-Who are you?"

Ichigo's face darkened a little. Truth be told, it did hurt a little, but the small fact that she kissed him back albeit shyly, dulled the pain into a tolerable throb. Why did she kiss him back? Was it possible that a tiny shred of her feelings had survived? Memories, after all, were not written in the bones of her skull. Names, numbers, events, faces, they could be forgotten, could be replaced, but what of feelings?

"Orihime,"

He saw her shudder, her eyes glazing for a moment as her hands curled into loose fists as she pressed her hands against her chest. She sounded breathless when she spoke again. "How… How did you know my name?"

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**100**

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"Orihime,"

She shivered at the sound of his voice.

Avidly, she stared at his face; he was intensely handsome with thick, messy hair. He looked a little menacing with a deep scowl that she found very endearing. His amber-colored eyes seemed too vivid, too bright that they were almost frightening in their intensity. It was a face one could never forget easily but for the life of her, she could _not _remember meeting him. However, as she continued to look into his fiery eyes, she could not shake the deep-seated feeling that –

_I know those eyes._

Heart pounding, she asked, "How did you know my name?"

He showed a small smile, his features softening slightly. Despite the small smile curving his stern mouth, there was sadness, a profound melancholy, in the way he looked at her. He looked as though something important was severed from him.

He was a stranger to her but she felt an immense sense of familiarity toward him. His eyes, the scowling face, his vivid hair, the curve of his jaw, all of them seemed familiar to her. And it was not a simple case of familiarity; she knew _those_ eyes, and she was –

…_Why do I feel like this? _

Her heart pounded harder, so hard she could feel it in her ears. She put a hand on top of her chest.

_H-He's a stranger! But why… My heart, it's beating so fast. It hurts. This feeling – it felt as if I found something important that I've lost, something that I've been looking for._

Her cheeks flushed hotly and her eyes widened when she realized where her thoughts were heading.

_Why do I feel like this? Am… Am I—_

She looked up. Their eyes met. Abruptly, her heart lurched. Orihime was dumbfounded at her realization as she stared at him.

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**101**

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The corner of Ichigo's lips lifted in a lazy smile. "Let's properly introduce ourselves." The girl jerked as though she had woken up from a daydream. Still blushing deeply, Orihime started and smiled shyly. "Kurosaki Ichigo."

She stared as though in awe upon hearing his name, her lips parting as she murmured his name softly. "Kurosaki…kun."

Ichigo twitched, feeling a hard tug inside his chest.

"_Good morning, Kurosaki-kun!"_

"_Help, Kurosaki-kun!"_

"_That was funny, Kurosaki-kun!"_

"_K-Kurosaki-kun…"_

"_Kurosaki-kuuuun!"_

"_Let's make good memories, ne…"_

"…_Kurosaki-kun."_

"_I love you. I love you. I—"_

_Fuck, _he grunted quietly, wincing mentally at the dull throbbing in his chest. Orihime's frown deepened as she watched him closely. "How about we shake hands?" he added nonchalantly as he offered his hand.

Ichigo watched her blink at his outstretched hand, eyeing the appendage with curiosity. Biting her lip, Orihime lifted her lashes and peeked up to him. Her uncertainty was obvious but she held out her hand.

Their hands touched. Ichigo felt his breath hitch and his heart trip at the simple touch.

"It's weird…" She said softly after a while, staring at their joined hands. "I don't know you – I can't remember meeting you but…" A small, earnest wrinkle appeared on her forehead. "This warmth… It's familiar."

She looked up into his eyes, studying him intently. Like before whenever she looked at him directly, Ichigo felt a brief moment of vulnerability. Tentatively, their hands parted.

"Kurosaki-kun… Did something happen to me?" She looked around the room anxiously, clutching the blanket with her pale fingers. "I can't remember anything. I can't remember _you_. My mind, it's like a big blank paper."

"Don't be scared." Without thinking, he took her hand and squeezed it. Her eyes snapped up to look up at him. They were wide and confused with a tinge of fear in them. "It's going to be alright."

"Are you my friend?"

Outside the shoji screens, Urahara, Yoruichi and Isshin listened, each leaning against a wall, waiting for Ichigo's reply.

Ichigo stared at her, his grip tightening.

One, two, three heartbeats passed.

"Yes."

Isshin turned his head away.

"We are friends. We always have been. And I will take care of you."

A small smile appeared on her face. "Will you – Will you tell me stories about you, about my life?"

He gave her a small smile. "I will."

She smiled at him tremulously, wrapping her fingers around his. "And someday, will I remember you?"

Ichigo nodded. "Someday. But for the meantime, we'll make new memories, better memories that you'll always remember."

Orihime looked down at their joined hands, smiled and looked up to him again. "Okay… Thank you, Kurosaki-kun." She now looked relaxed.

Ichigo slowly let go of her hand. "If you need anything, I'll be outside." Orihime smiled, giving a small nod.

He stood up, unaware of Orihime's gaze following his movements. He was tall and lean, strong with lethal grace, she noted as she studied him while he walked across the room.

Stopping by the doorframe with his back to her, he put his hand on the sliding door and slid it open. The hallway outside the room was now deserted.

Behind him, Orihime waited with her head cocked to the side. He glanced at her over his shoulder, his messy bangs falling over his eyes. The corner of his mouth lifted in a small smile, but it was enough to cause Orihime to blush immensely. Fidgeting with the blanket on her lap, she lowered her gaze.

"Call me if you need anything."

"U-Un!"

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**102**

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The sound of the shoji screens finally sliding shut indicated she was now alone in her room and the breath she was holding in was finally released. Orihime placed a hand over her chest, still blushing even though the cause of her flustered state had already left. It was embarrassing, she thought, mortified. She was already ardently attracted to a man she barely knew! But holding his hand… it, it had felt so right, like she had been holding that hand for a long time. And his eyes – she flushed heavily, covering her warm face with her hands as she remembered the way he looked at her.

_So e-embarrassing! _

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Orihime raised her hand and stared at her palm, the same hand she had used to shake hands with him. Biting her lower lip, she studied it closely, remembering the feel of his palm and fingers.

He was warm, and that warmth felt familiar and comforting. It made her feel safe and protected. She could tell he was a kind person. Although he was a little brash – for kissing her all of a sudden! – Orihime sensed that it was not difficult to trust him. With a deep sigh, Orihime laid down on the futon and stared up to the ceiling with a small smile.

_I'm not scared. I'm nervous, though! But he said he'll take care of me. _

She smiled to herself.

_Everything will be alright. _

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**103**

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Outside her room, leaning against the wall next to the shoji door was Ichigo. His arms were folded in front of his chest, eyes gazing at the wall before him blankly. Isshin quietly approached him and stood next to the younger man.

"You were given a second chance."

Ichigo frowned at the wall. "I don't know if she would be the same Orihime I knew."

"It is true that our memories could influence our personalities but I believe that a person's true self resides in their heart."

Ichigo scratched his hair, distracted. He really should get a hair cut.

"I understand your worry, son. I also understand that there's a definite pain in being the only one who remembers. You have to accept these changes, and with you and your friends surrounding her, I am certain that things would be easier for the two of you. A mind could forget, but a heart will always remember."

"Thanks, Dad." And he meant it. "It's just…"

"Oh come on, son! Use you super seduction powers!" His son glared murderously, but Isshin ignored him and continued, "You haven't changed a bit, Ichigo. If you haven't, then, I'm sure she'll fall in love with you again." Isshin sniffed. "Though, I must question her taste in men!" added he with an exaggerated shake of his head.

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo pushed himself off the wall and tucked his hands inside his pockets. Isshin pumped a fist. "Operation seduce a Hime is _go!_"

"Shut up! She'll hear you!" Ichigo snapped, rapping his father's forehead with his fist.

"Oops!"

With Isshin babbling about his scheme behind Ichigo, they left the corridor. Ichigo was deep in his thoughts.

One more chance, huh? Life it seemed was kinder and a little fair than he expected. She would never remember their past together, and regardless how painful it was for him to be the only one who remembers, he'd endure it. Like he told her, they will make new memories, better memories.

* * *

**title. **he and she, we, the two of us**  
summary. **"You were given a second chance."**  
note. **each and every review was very much appreciated and brought a big smile to my face! thanks very very very much for your time to read and review! also, as a final note, in this story, Orihime will _never _regain her memories, but a person does not need their memories to fall in love with same person, right? omggg i'm so cheesy *chokes, convulses, and dies*

anywaaay, i can now concentrate on _godsend, hardboiled, sunflower, fractured, sincerely _and _rapunzel._ omg so many fics to finish! see yaaaa, guuuys :D drop me a final note, yesh? :]**  
disclaimer. **Bleach © KUBO**  
**


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